Lost Memories
by Canucklehead Cowgirl
Summary: 906 Side Fic from after time jump -These are the lost memories that were dragged up when Quire started digging in K's mind during 'Growing Up Feral'. May not make a real cohesive story, but it will grow on her backstory considerably. Useless to read without the rest of my 906 series. Special THANKS and Dedicated to KJAX89 for inspiration borrowed from Apex. OCs, Triggers, Violence
1. Prologue

Quire's manipulations of K's mind were a lot more intense than K had given him credit for.

She found herself waking up at night from memories that she knew had to have happened, but she just couldn't place the when. She almost went back to Quire to request he simply bury what he'd uncovered, but the truth was, she kind of wanted to know what she'd been through.

Laura digging into her past had opened up all kinds of doors and K simply wanted to know how bad of a person she'd been. If the past few lingering dreams were any indication, she really didn't like who she'd been, and she was reasonably sure Logan wouldn't have liked her either.

Of course, she was over thinking it. Quire had also enhanced her bond with Logan to the point that the two could communicate telepathically – of course, the unintended effect of this was that Logan could get a peek in on the more vivid nightmares and dreams as she projected out in her sleep, sometimes triggering recurrences of his own haunted past.

Tonight her eyes had popped open as she sucked in a huge breath of air. He was already there waiting for her and she barely paused a beat before latching on to him. He understood completely what she was dealing with.

She hadn't wanted to discuss it, but what Logan was catching was making him want to pull Colton aside for a little talk. The younger man had never really talked to anyone in depth about all that had happened at Weapon X. The first time he'd met K he looked as if he'd seen a ghost and refused to elaborate where he'd seen her, though Logan had guessed. He reasoned that it was possible that Colton's memory had been tampered with as well, particularly if at some point K had gotten the better of those in charge at Weapon X.

The program liked to make an example of failures, after all. If someone was to get the better of them – evade their program somehow or find a way to make any of the head scientists or even Stryker look badly – their presence would likely be wiped from all weapons who had contact with that person, should they have found a way to evade capture. They couldn't let the idea that one of them could best the system get into the minds of their weapons.

After all, if there was hope in the minds of their weapons, then those running the program lost their hold on them.

"You OK, Darlin'?" he asked when her breathing had more or less returned to normal. She nodded silently and rearranged her head on his chest. The dreams were taking more solid shape now. She was starting to remember them even after she woke up, sometimes the memory continuing where the 'dream' had left off. She just couldn't bring herself to talk about it. Any of it. He squeezed her tightly for a few seconds before urging her to try to get back to sleep.

"Whatever it was, it's done." he reminded her, kissing her head as she let out a deep breath.

"I know." she replied quietly. "Thank you." he chuckled a little and let out a sigh as the two of them settled in again. It wasn't long before she was drifting off to sleep again making little noises in the back of her throat as the most intense dreams picked up again.


	2. Welcome to Weapon X

K'mela had awoken to a rush of cold water hitting her like a fire hose. When it ceased, she realized that aside from being wet and cold, she was also totally naked. She tried to cover herself from unseen eyes, backing herself into a corner as she looked around, shaking. There was no easily discernible doorway out. No windows. Only a bench and a drain in the middle of the floor. She startled when the short wall on the opposite side of the room began to move, opening just enough for a doctor and a pair of what appeared to be guards or soldiers to walk in, rifles trained on her.

They couldn't know what she was, right? She'd always been careful to not let anyone see.

"You were turned over to our custody. It doesn't matter who turned you in. You'll never get the chance to confront them. You will be safe here with us as long as you follow our rules and do as your told. Is that clear?" the doctor said briskly. She looked to the two guards nervously and nodded. The doctor looked stern as he rearranged his clipboard and threw a hospital gown at her.

"Get dressed and get moving. You don't need to tell me anything about yourself. I don't care. Whoever you were is now dead. We'll give you a new name and a new purpose if your mutation is a useful one. Otherwise, we'll simply keep you from society." She'd barely pulled the short gown around herself when the first guard stepped forward, rifle slung over his shoulder and grabbed her arm, roughly hauling her ahead of him.

"We're looking for a particular type of mutant. Don't bother trying lie about your abilities either. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of them." the doctor said as they pushed her down the hallway. The place smelled like death, infection and antiseptic.

"We're a little swamped with gene trash right now," the guard manhandling her said quietly. "But don't worry, we'll get to you soon enough." The tone of his voice held a certain malice, but that was all that was said to her as they shoved her into a larger wide open room. The walls were lined with other women, all of them wearing the same type of hospital gown, though all in varying stages of cleanliness. It wasn't exactly clean in there. She had a sinking feeling that this was more of an extermination camp than anything else.

Looking around the room, she realized all the gowns were the same shade of blue under all their dirt.

"Here's our final roomie, girls." a brash woman with a smoky voice called out as she stepped forward to look her over. "And she's a cute one too." K'mela looked to the woman. She didn't look approachable or friendly as she loomed over her. "They don't go by the order you came in so don't get too comfortable. They might just grab you first. The last new girl was only here a few days."

"How long have you been down here?" K'mela asked her, not sure which way she'd prefer it went.

"Five years and no one has so much as looked at me in the past two. Apparently, they don't tend to go through women as quickly. Unless you're something special. You special, pretty girl?" K shook her head quickly as she backed away from the woman's outstretched hand. Nope. Nothing special here.

It wasn't even an hour later when several guards came in and she got to see what was expected of the women there. Half of them rushed forward, flirting and sweet talking, trying to get in their favor. The other half seemed to cower, afraid to draw the guards' eyes. K'mela was blatantly standing in the middle, not liking either option.

"You …. new girl. Come here." One of the guards called out. When she didn't move right away, the second guard shot her with a dart. She tried to guess the timing on it, not wanting to show anyone what she could do and soon slipped to her knees. "Damn. I was hoping this one would heal fast. Big bonus for anyone that brings in one with healing capabilities. Particularly a female." the guard said as she slumped further, her heart raced as she realized she'd managed to do the right thing. The second guard approached her as she slid prone on the floor.

"She's kinda cute though. Really – take a look. She's built nice." he said, using his boot to move her hospital gown further open, revealing the front of her body. It was all she could do to keep from shaking as her heart sped up.

"Don't get any ideas. You know how the doc feels about usin' the fresh meat before he gets a chance to run his tests. As nice as she looks, it just ain't worth it. You just gotta wait." The second guard kneeled down next to her, tipping his head as he looked at her face.

"I don't know, Paul. Her eyes are still open. Maybe she does heal."

"Don't be stupid. It doesn't always knock 'em out. She can't move. That's what matters." She was suddenly positively terrified and highly aware of how her hands were acting, afraid that a tense muscle would betray her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, let's tell the doc. No dice on this one." the second guard said as he stood. K'mela's heart tried to beat out of her chest. "We'll be back later for a nightcap, girls." the women in the cell gave their sing-song goodbyes to the guards before waiting a half beat and making their way around the woman on the floor.

"How long you think she'll last with a body like that?" one of them said, pulling the gown open the rest of the way. Here, as everywhere else, women could be far more critical of each other than men would ever dream. The one that appeared to be their leader laughed.

"If they don't find a use for her or toss her in the breeding program, I give her six months before they throw her to the Weapons for a chew toy. Less than that if Creed spots her." It was quiet as they all seemed to agree, the tone of the room changing completely. "Lets give her a chance though, girls. Cover her up before he walks past. If he doesn't see her, he likely won't stop. He already killed the ones he liked in here. Let's not give him a reason to come poking around."

"I'll fill her in on how things work around here when she wakes up." a new voice agreed. She was truly scared now. How long was she supposed to be out and what the hell had she gotten into?

….

She waited motionless until one of them started asking how long the dart was supposed to last. When she did move, she started slowly, not wanting to push her luck. Better to look like it had hit her much harder than it should have than to show a miraculous recovery.

"Anyone have any idea what her name is?" one of the women said quietly as K'mela's eyes fluttered open.

"Doesn't really matter. If they decide to use her, she'll just be a number anyhow." another answered her. "Unless she is special – then she'll get an X in front of her number" murmured assents rumbled through the cell. As she sat up the woman closest to her introduced herself as Sarah.

"Once they process you, you aren't allowed to go by names. Numbers only. The only ones they use letters on now are the weapons, and you don't want to be one of those. They're all 'X' this or that." she said as she began to explain the rules. There wasn't much to know. The women there all seemed to try to keep their heads down. No fighting. That was number one. Those caught fighting were experimented on or thrown to the Weapons for target practice, or as the head of their group had said earlier – to use as chew toys. When the guards came in it was a toss up. If you schmoozed up to them, you could gain their favor with sex. Hide from them and they might try and take it anyhow if they liked the look of you.

"You're going to have trouble with that. Paul and Eric already have their eyes on you and Eric likes to brag when he nails a new girl." Sarah said. "Word gets out there's a pretty one in here and your time here will be short," she elaborated. "Creed likes to kill the pretty ones." K'mela just stared back at her.

"What about escaping?" she asked. There was no laugh as she'd expect from them. Just stoney silence and haunted looks.

"You can't get out unless you can heal – which, judging by the way that dart hit you, you're just as screwed as the rest of us. Besides, they pull the healers and the psy-talents for the weapons program. They use dampeners on blasters. The rest of us are stuck here. You can't escape without dying." Sarah warned. "They let Creed handle escapees. He has the option to bring them in alive. He just never does."

"So what, he's like the warden around here?"

"More like the attack dog. Don't draw his attention, and whatever you do, don't catch his eye."

….

The first night in the cell was horrifying. After the two guards returned and got their 'nightcap' the women broke into smaller groups, K'mela alone, of course. They settled into their preferred spots scattered around the room, sleeping on the floor. She had serious trouble drifting off, and was only half asleep when screaming erupted from down the corridors. She sat upright quickly.

It was a man in severe pain, possibly being tortured. His screams resonated in the cell and her head, but everyone else was asleep. She wondered if it was her hearing playing tricks on her. She forced herself to lay down again, trying to hold a pose as the other women slept on. She couldn't tear her focus away from the sounds though. She could hear the muffled, hollow sound of something solid hitting flesh and the distinct snap of bone over and over between the agonized screams … and under it all, a throaty deep chuckle. She laid still like the sleeping women around her, but her eyes refused to close and she stared into the darkness as she listened to the man's screams fade into nothing. The muffled thud on his flesh though continued for a bit.

One of the more quiet women in the cell met her wide eyes from a stone's throw away.

"Welcome to Weapon X." she said at just over a whisper. K'mela realized that even acknowledging this woman was likely a mistake. Why was she watching her when the rest of the cell was clearly asleep? How far out could normal people hear, anyhow? When the woman smiled at her, K began thinking of ways to kill her, realizing that doing so would only draw attention to the new girl in the cell. She'd have time tomorrow, she hoped, to observe how the other women reacted to her. If they were wary of her, she'd figure out how to end her without drawing suspicion. She began looking around the cell from where she lay, looking for any useable items. She hated to think this way, but this could be about her survival.

….

K'mela quickly made a name for herself in the holding cell. The woman in question was simply mad.

Not a spy as she had feared. The others seemed to take care of her, and when she began to babble to them that they needed to protect the new girl, the others took pause and listened.

It was rumored that crazy Sadie had some kind of foresight. Like she could tell when someone was useful. How she'd ended up in the holding pool rather than in the psy-talents' cell block was anyone's guess. The girls realized that K'mela had some enhanced senses to some degree and at least Crazy Sadie knew that meant it was best to keep her from the guards focus, and really important to keep her away from Creed's eye. Following Sadie's advice had kept most of them out of trouble for a long time.

….

She was there for nearly a month before Creed poked his head into the cell, looking for the new girl he'd heard some of the guards talking about. By that time, K'mela was filthy. Her hair was a tangled mess and she blended in almost seamlessly with the others. He wouldn't have been able to pick her out as the new one unless he'd made them line up to look over. Ultimately, it was too much effort for him if she blended in this well with the holding pool.

He never looked in the cell again for her specifically, though she was careful to avoid his scrutiny. He had peeked in once before, blood splattered across his face and a wicked grin in place. She didn't look directly at him, knowing that if she did, he'd hone in on her quickly. He moved on without incident, but she was starting to go a little crazy worrying about what would happen to her once they discovered her natural abilities. She'd guessed, correctly he was the source of the commotion her first night there and from what she'd been slowly gathering from the others, the man enjoyed his job.

Sooner or later, she knew those in charge would figure out what she could do and from what stories the women and the guards told, she was likely just what they wanted. She'd been there nearly three months before they finally came to check her over for her official check in. The guard that took her back was enthusiastic. Apparently, after check in, she'd be just as eligible for the guards' advances as the other women were and Eric couldn't wait to bring her back to the holding cell.

The other women in the cell gave her a sad look as she left, as if they all knew that was the last they'd see her. If nothing else, they thought she was too pretty to leave to rot in the pool. That meant she'd end up being used in one program or another soon.

The guard dragged her to a white room where she was shoved into a chair and her hair shaved off. She bit the inside of her cheek knowing that she'd be in trouble soon when her hair began to regrow. From there they threw her into a shower and ordered her to scrub down. Dripping wet and now clean, they took her to the labs, where the lead scientist there actually set his clipboard down as they strapped her down. He looked her over carefully, his eyes roving her body and finally settling on her head.

"When was she shaved?" the doctor asked. The guard took a moment to look at her before his eyebrows rose.

"Not quite an hour ago," he said, his hand drifting up toward her now fuzzy head. The hair was already growing back.

"Don't touch it. It may be an anomaly. Some of them do strange things like that under duress. No reason to get excited and tell the professor anything unless we know for sure what she is." the doctor said, looking at her closely. "I don't suppose you'd just tell us the truth about what abilities you possess?" She remained silent. "The guards say the other women have taken a shining to you. That they're trying to hide you from the guards and … others. I'm still at a loss as to why they'd put such effort toward such an insignificant mutant," the doctor said mostly to himself as he brought a needle to the crook of her arm and drew a blood sample. He didn't try to stop the bleeding, simply turning his back as he took the vials to their carrying case. To her relief, the guard stepped forward with a cotton ball, putting pressure on the 'wound' telling her he simply disliked the sight of blood. She wondered for a moment if this was Eric's way of trying to soften her up to his impending advances.

The doctor looked her over thoroughly, never once asking her a question, just barking orders as they processed her. Internally, she let out a sigh of relief when it seemed the exam was over. She was so worried that this weirdo was going to cut her – then it would all be over. They'd know before the blade left her skin. The guard was about to take her back to the cell when the doctor stopped him.

"Let me check her mouth. Last one that went through went septic from a broken tooth." the doctor said and she held her breath. She struggled against him until they started to pry her mouth open. The doc froze and squinted his eyes at her.

"What are you hiding?" he asked as she arched her back as best she could, only stopping when they finally got her mouth pried all the way open with some bizarre jack. He smiled a bit as he took a proper look before letting her head go. "Don't put her back in holding. Find a nice private cell. We're going to make use of this one."

"The weapons program?" the guard sounded surprised. She was such a tiny thing. The weapons used to date were all very muscular men.

"I'm not sure yet. She'll need a full testing regimen."

"Can I ask why?" the guard asked as he put restraints on her, hardly hiding his disappointment. One of the other girls in the cell would have to scratch his itch for him.

"Yes, she belongs in the feral's cell block. I'm not sure where she falls on the scale, but she has elongated canines." he turned his attention to her. "You may not be exactly what we were looking for, but a natural feral female, even if it's not particularly strong in you … well, that's cause for celebration around here. We were under the impression that a human looking feral woman was an impossibility. They all seem to have pointed ears and excessive hair, or frankly, many look like half-animals." Her heart was racing as he seemed to double check her ears. "Special orders on her – Creed isn't allowed to play with her. Not yet." the doctor said as he jotted down notes on his clipboard. "In fact, don't let him near her quadrant. I don't even want him scenting her. If she is indeed what we want, she's going to be far more valuable in good condition. When she's in the cell, be sure to tell Cornelius." The guard nodded his head and she took it as a good sign of sorts. If Creed wasn't allowed to be near her, she might have a chance.

She'd barely gotten settled into her cell when the door was wrenched open and a bespectacled man with a bushy beard stepped inside, just staring at her. She stared back wide eyed until he made a motion for the guards to restrain her. They pinned her to the ground tightly. She couldn't move a muscle as the man approached her and tried to pry her mouth open as she struggled to get away from them. He didn't have the tools the last doctor had and he finally had to settle for pushing her lips back far enough to see her teeth. On seeing them, he reached for something on one of the soldiers' belts. He looked far too excited before he sunk a knife between her ribs, his breathing hitched when he pulled the blade out. She let out a gurgled surprised cry as the blood rushed onto the cell floor. A few moments later, the doctor ran his hand across her side and found nothing. His hands started to shake as he stood slowly.

"Gentlemen. Please, very carefully restrain her. I need more blood from her and a DNA swab. I want assurances of what she is. It's entirely possible that she is already related to one of our previous Weapons – she looks young enough." Cornelius said low, a tremor to his voice. "Don't let her get damaged. I want her perfect before we start." He began mumbling to himself about cross checking her helix against several x-numbers as the guards did as they were directed. Her heart stopped when she heard him mumble something about 'if only she had claws'.

…..

The next day, she was chained and led from her cell to a lab. On the way through, she held her breath as two of the largest men she'd ever seen in her life appeared to be fighting to the death. Creed was laughing, swiping at a very panther-like man who was giving as good as he got. Their snarls rended the air and she subconsciously tried to make herself look smaller, halfway ducking behind one of the guards, all the while trying to figure out how she'd handle being stuck in a small room with either of them. She knew better than to be anywhere near a feral male …. her father had been very clear about telling her and her sister to keep away from them. They were territorial about their women, and incredibly dangerous to her possible freedom. Before she could put much thought to the two fighting males, the guards pushed her into an elevator.

She let out a breath she didn't think she was holding as the elevator sunk down who knows how deep. One of the guards chuckled at her clear relief.

"Little thing has no idea what's in store for her," he said to his partner.

"Looks like she's just happy she didn't have to go in with Apex and Creed. Not that I'd blame her." the other replied. The first one ruffled her half grown out hair as she tried to dodge his hand like she was some kind of animal.

"Don't worry, little girl. They won't let those big guys tear you up unless they can't use you at all," he said, instantly pissing her off. She couldn't help it as the growl escaped her. No point in trying to hide it now. At first the two men froze for a moment, the deep pitch to the growl throwing them off, then the one that had pet her laughed nervously as he pulled his hand back. Clearly they'd been trained to try to not show fear. Too bad he reeked of it. She was livid as she assessed the two of them, carefully judging the distance between the two and herself … what weapons they had on them … and how well she was restrained – which wasn't very. A simple set of handcuffs.

She ran the plan in her head half a dozen times before she tipped her chin up toward the guard nearest her. He met her eyes for just a moment before she lunged and bit his throat, tearing out his jugular and yanking free the gun at his hip. The second guard raised his firearm as she brought the first guard's pistol down on his eye socket. She dropped to the floor and started rifling around for the key to the cuffs.

She had it in her mouth as she tried to unlock herself. Just as the doors opened, half a dozen guards cocked their rifles and she let the key fall from between her lips, only one hand unlocked, the cuffs dangling from her left wrist.

"Don't shoot her yet, boys." a military man chuckled. "She put on quite a show, didn't she?" he grinned. Her eyes flickered to a strange spot in the corners of the elevator. Cameras. How did she miss them? "Put to shame anyone we've brought in for years." he actually looked pleased at her bloodied appearance. He wasn't stupid enough to get closer though. "Do you have claws, young lady, or do you operate entirely with your teeth?" She refused to answer, but he didn't care, smiling genuinely at her. "Truly remarkable. Feral female _and _she doesn't talk. I think we hit the jackpot, gentlemen." She bit back the snarl that wanted to escape her blood stained lips. "We need a collar on this one right now." he said seriously. Her eyes tracked to someone far behind the military man, making him smile wider as he commented about her heightened senses. "I'm going to like you, aren't I?" he said as he motioned for the men with guns to back up a hair, their safeties off.

"Not likely." K finally replied. He smiled wider.

"Not the head, boys." he said with a sneer as he gave the signal to shoot. She covered her face as they opened fire.

...


	3. Cyber

**KJAX, Shinn &amp; Retro ... Much love and thanks to you guys! **

**KJAX- glad you're enjoying it. I'm hoping she can keep them guessing for quite a while. **

**Shinn - Thanks! I'm hoping this clears up a bit about her and how she thinks. **

**Retro - more to come. This is my sneaky way to tell backstory without clogging up the main line. :)**

**Happy St. Pats, kids - today should be a big day ... hoping that my chapter goes up on time at the collaboration. Link is on my profile, but it's not usually up until into the evening. (Eastern TZ) Cross your fingers that Logan gets some good reviews! **

**Now, if you wanted to know more about K, now's the time to ask. If it's a good enough question, I'll tailor a chapter around it to explain, otherwise, I'm gonna just try and tell her story. **

* * *

K was worn out. She'd given up sleeping around four and gingerly disengaged herself from Logan's side, silently slipping out of their room before padding barefooted down to the kitchen. She'd bunched herself up on a stool with a mug of coffee and had stared at the steam rising off of it long enough for it to go cold.

She wondered vaguely if Colton and Greer's quick departure wasn't for the best because had he still been there – after everything that had happened … Creed breaking her neck, the incidents with Sinister, her brush with death. All of it had worn her terribly and the memories were just rushing back.

She had a whole laundry list of questions for Colton now that she could remember them.

However, knowing how he felt about Weapon X, and how wary he'd acted around her, she wasn't sure that he'd answer any of her questions.

She decided she'd have Jean reach out to Greer once the dust settled. Maybe they could find a way to fill in the blanks. She let out a sigh of relief when Logan slipped up behind her and kissed her.

"Gave up on sleep?" he asked she just nodded as he took a seat next to her. "You goin' to see Jeannie later?" K shook her head.

"No, Quire and Charles," K explained. "Jean … she said she can't watch this stuff. Apparently I disturb her." He kissed her as tenderly as he was able, his hand at the back of her head.

"Don't let it get to ya. She's just a little protected." She responded by leaning into his shoulder and closing her eyes. His scent just made her relax as it washed over her. "You got a few days before we leave. You gonna be ready by then?" he asked as she straightened up again, taking her coffee mug back from him.

"I hope so." she replied, giving him a kiss before heading down to see Quire and Charles in the big office. They were waiting for her, looking as though they weren't sure they should continue, but K made them promise to move forward, taking her spot on the sofa and lying down simply so she wouldn't fall down.

"Whenever you're ready, Quentin." K said quietly.

"I'm going to put you to sleep for this one," Quire explained. "You need the rest." K nodded her head and before she could think about it, she felt the soft crash of sleep wash heavily over her.

* * *

Cold and naked. Still. These idiots seemed to have a problem with giving her clothing. She didn't need to feel for the collar to know it was there. It was heavy and if possible, colder than the air around her even as it hummed quietly. That was not a good sign. She looked at her hands and discovered that she had been cleaned up since last she was conscious. She had no idea how long she'd been out, but the first thing she did was to scramble to the corner in the front of the cell – far left of the door, where it would be most difficult for anyone looking in to see her.

Her strategy was a fine one until the guard looking in decided she was trying to kill him. He called for assistance and her prize was white hot pain as her jaw clenched tightly shut and her back arched. When she woke up again, she was in a large room, padding on the floor and minimal clothing on – little more than a tank top and bike shorts. At least the essentials were covered.

"So, you have no trouble showing your feral tendencies. That's good. Just what we need here. I'm going to hand you over to a trainer just as soon as we get your name straightened out." Styrker said with a smile. Her eyes flickered to the large black panther like feral against the wall who seemed to be at the ready, watching her carefully. "Oh no. He's not your trainer. Not yet. You need the basics first. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Your name."

Her eyes darted between the two of them as she stammered to tell them her name.

"No, sweetheart," Stryker said, startling her into silence. "I'll tell you what your name is." Her apprehension melted instantly away. What kind of pervert was this jackass? "Your new name is K. Weapon K to be exact."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" she snarled back.

"It's in reference to the order you came in. You are the thousandth experiment in this little program. I have high hopes you'll live to be useful." Stryker said with a wicked smile. "Now, what's your name, weapon?" She glared back at him, jaw locked and eyes flashing. Her defiance would end up causing her more trouble than either Stryker or she could imagine. "Name."

"K'mela" she said through gritted teeth. It barely left her lips before he hit the button, and her back arched, eyes wide open and screaming silently until she regained consciousness on the ground, her limbs shaking.

"The next one will be worse," he warned as she found her feet, shakily standing, her arms across her chest and her shoulders slumped as she shook, hugging herself. She looked pitiful. Weak. All the horrible descriptions men use to sum up women. He looked like he simply couldn't wait to hit her again. "Let's try it again. What's your name, weapon?"

She was shaking, though if it was from shock or from fear, Stryker couldn't tell. Ultimately, she wasn't quick enough and he hit the button again with identical results, though this time she was much slower attempting to get her feet under her and she had a trickle of blood drizzling from her nose as she barely made it upright. Her ears were ringing terribly as she shakily tried to take the same stance. She looked visibly dazed as he circled her now, her feet now shoulder width apart as she tried to regain her balance.

"This next one's a doozy, so why don't you just do the right thing. Just answer me and I'll let you off the hook." Stryker said to her as he circled in. "Now, what's your name, weapon?" Her shoulders were shaking and her chin trembling as he took another step closer. He smirked to himself, as he leaned in a little further. He was going to enjoy breaking this one. Spirited and hard headed. But she couldn't be as hard headed as some he'd broken before. For an instant the Wolverine flashed in his mind's eye, but her drawing in a sniffling breath brought him back to the here and now. He was sure she was going to cry. All at once he realized how he'd gotten far too close. The instant their eyes locked, all her shaking ceased and she lunged, a snarl on her lips. He hit the button as she closed her hands around his neck, frying both of them.

She opened her eyes halfway to her cell, tied tightly and draped over the shoulder of the tall, panther like Apex. She couldn't form coherent thought as they approached her cell, her eyes still rolling in her head.

She heard the door open and the change of sound as his footsteps echoed in the much smaller space. She mentally braced herself for a drop that did not come. She felt herself being gently laid down as the large feral even went so far as to be careful not to let her bump her head. She opened her eyes slowly, a tiny groan escaping her lips as her body ached. He was on his knees next to her, clearly studying her.

Her eyes locked on to him as he finally spoke.

"You're not afraid," he said as she tried to focus her eyes. "It's going to get you killed." She wrinkled her brow as he started to remove her restraints. She wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a threat or a warning.

"I don't think you'd be so gentle with me if that was true," K replied very quietly. He stiffened up at her words – or her touch as she covered his hand with hers. "I won't be afraid of _him_ either way. Do what you have to, but I came into this world kicking, screaming and covered in someone else's blood – I have no problem leaving the same way." He growled low and she just smiled, chuckling to herself as he retracted his hand from her grasp. "I'm not much of a threat to you right now – and you know it. Thanks for the ride, big guy." K said, watching him back away from her. She wanted to roll onto her side, but was too tired to do so. His reaction to her or her words was amusing. She could see she unsettled him. But he looked as if he could use some unsettling.

If the doctor and the Colonel hadn't been so damned excited to find a 'human looking feral female' she might have been more nervous. But knowing that she was important to them in some way – she felt it gave her an edge in a way. They'd likely punish her within an inch of her life, but all she needed was an inch to keep living.

* * *

The next time she saw Stryker, he walked with a limp, though if K was the cause or not, she really didn't know. She reasoned that she couldn't possibly be the only one that wanted to see the man bleed.

He stared at her as she remained curled up on herself, sitting in the furthest corner of her cell. Her hair had regrown and was midway down her back, the soft curls starting to look dirty in the little cell.

"Clean her up before we send her to Burr. The boss said she needs an evaluation from him before we continue." Stryker ordered to a guard, still staring at her while she passively looked back. He clearly couldn't grasp how that passive look on her face read as both totally innocent and pure malice at the same time. He took a few steps toward her cell door.

"I hope you're proud of yourself for that little stunt," Stryker said, his condescending tone now gone – only venom in his voice now. "I probably shouldn't warn you, but Burr has been given permission to do whatever it takes to get you prepared. Do yourself a favor and don't fight him."

Sounded like a challenge to her.

* * *

Once she was cleaned up she was given a set of fatigues to wear – which were entirely too big for her. She looked almost like a child playing dress up in them. They blindfolded her and tied her, tossing her into some kind of a transport with what smelled like at least a dozen men. The smell of gun oil thick in the air tipped her off that they were soldiers – or guards. At any rate they rode in silence.

When they finally reached their destination, the men around her filed out before the guards dragged her from the transport and threw her into the dirt.

"What the fuck is this?" a deep voice echoed out as a heavy boot slipped under her torso and flipped her so she was facing up.

"Your newest project. They're calling her 'K'," the soldier answered.

"This is the one that Stryker sent? I already told him, I don't work with women, let alone little bitty girls." the deep voice half barked.

"He said you name your fee on her – he'll pay whatever it takes, just get her ready for the program." There was silence as the man thought it over. The next thing she knew, he was picking her up by the throat. Her hands in front of her, she instinctively grabbed the arm that had picked her up. His skin felt hard. When her feet were dangling from the ground and she was starting to black out, he pulled the blindfold off her.

"I don't know what you did to get on Stryker's bad side, but just breathin's got you on mine," he said low to her. "The only thing I ever want to hear coming from your mouth is 'yes, sir', you got that princess?" she couldn't move to shake her head and he was crushing her throat. He just stared into her eyes until he saw she was going to pass out, then he dropped her. She hit her head when she fell, and was coughing hard, her chest burning. When she opened her eyes between coughing spells she realized he hadn't moved, and she was at his feet as she struggled to breathe.

"I'll just bet you can talk now, princess – how about my answer?" She looked up at him, still tied and helpless.

"Curl up and die, cocksucker." There was no waiting for the beating he gave her. When he was done, even K wasn't sure how well she was going to heal from it. He'd broken several bones, and she was still tied up. She was wheezing heavily as he kneeled down next to her and started setting the breaks, making her scream. She was a bloodied mess.

"I was going to untie you, but if you're going to be a smart mouthed little bitch, you can figure out how to do it yourself. Don't try to run – I'll just have to hunt you down. No one around for a couple hundred miles but me anyhow." he said, a smug tone to his voice. "I'll be back for my answer – and it better be 'yes, sir' this time." He kicked her hard in the stomach before he left her there in favor of a shady spot where he simply watched her recover in the dirt. When she found her way to her knees, he approached her again.

"That's a good place for you. Not in my program … just on your knees. Would you like that better? Spend the next six months servicing my soldiers?" the glare he got from her was exactly the venom he tried to cultivate in his recruits … it usually took months to get to anywhere near that point. His stance shifted when he saw the look in her eyes – he'd never expected to see that look of pure hatred in her, let alone for her to come to him with it already.

"Well, I'll be damned." he mumbled. She was growling low as he stopped in front of her. Both of them knew right then he'd have to approach her differently. His normal pattern of military-esque torture camp wasn't going to work on her, and he could see it right off the bat, at least saving him weeks of simply beating on her. He smiled as he slid his hand into the hair on top of her head, grabbing a fistful of it at the back of her head and hauling her head backwards. He pushed her far enough, she halfway lost her balance, and found herself perched on her toes.

"You and I are gonna be real close, princess." he said with a smirk. She narrowed her eyes and launched herself forward, leading with her shoulder, in an effort to body check him in his balls. It probably would have worked on anyone else, But Burr's adamantium coated skin kept him from any and all impact damage. She got a broken collar bone for her trouble and a twisted smile from him.

"Oh, yeah. You and I are gonna be _real close._" He punched her in the face, knocking her world black.

She woke up in the same spot, healed, still tied, and seemingly alone, only it was dark out now.

She didn't wait for him to appear, instead pulling at the ropes around her wrists with her teeth in an effort to get them off. As soon as her hands were freed, she untied her feet and stood up shakily to a slow clap coming from behind her. She spun on the spot to see Burr grinning at her.

"It only took you six hours to smarten up and get the ropes off." he said as he approached her. She hadn't moved. "Most guys would have started to run by now." He came to a stop just a few feet away from her before grabbing her arm. "You get it already, don'tcha? You can't hurt me, but I can sure as hell hurt you. Lets see if you can surprise me – do as I say and it won't be nearly as bad as it could be."

The promise of pain either way. That was no way to talk to a lady.

She met his eyes and nodded. He smiled and pulled her to his side, his hand sliding up to wrap around the back of her neck.

"Good girl," he actually looked pleased. She was all but shaking in rage. "We don't have women's barracks. But, seein' as you're my special little project anyhow, I had the boys set up a bunk just for you – in my quarters." Fuck. "Can't have you runnin' off in the dark. No tellin' what you might run into out there." he chuckled.

It took weeks for her to find an opportunity to slip away. There had been several men that they'd sent to training already break down and need to be sent back. Another three had tried to make a run for it in the woods, but they were sloppy in their attempt to escape. They always did the same thing – almost as if they had a script. One would snap, pick a direction and run. Within moments of someone discovering the defection, the entire camp would mobilize and search them out.

K had no plans to be hunted down like an animal. On his word, the camp mobilized, but Cyber didn't leave. She was irritated in her perch high above camp in a tree, waiting for him to head off. He was always the one to bring them back in. If he would simply pick a direction, she could go the opposite way.

She didn't understand Cyber's abilities though. She didn't realize what he was. He stood alone at the center of the camp and put his hands to his temples. She had no clue as to what he was doing.

"Alright princess, I know where you are now." he said with a grin. "I knew you'd run sooner or later." He started to make a beeline for her tree and she realized he wasn't your every day psychopath. She made a real run for it, her plan to steal a car from his camp destroyed now that he was looking right at her.

She jumped from one tree to the next as he followed her below, waiting for the right opportunity. When she lighted on a smaller tree, he bashed into it, making her lose her footing on the branch. She slipped, but caught herself, dangling from a branch high over his head. He kept hitting it until the damn branch she was on started to crack. He caught her when she fell, sinking claws into her that she didn't know he had. When she opened her mouth to scream, he simply covered her mouth as he pumped her full of hallucinogens and poisons from his claws. He smiled at her as her pupils dilated.

"You did this to yourself, princess." he murmured low as her vision distorted and her heart raced. When he let her up, she started to back away from him as the forest turned on her. He appeared to be a massive silver skinned devil and every tree and leaf in the forest seemed to be his minion. The world was becoming a swirling mess of colors and shadows. And all of it was trying to kill her. She thought for a moment she could ride it out, but then she started hearing strange noises to accompany the visual and the scents … her nose was overrun suddenly by bizarre combinations with no source. Death and cotton candy. Rotting flesh and overly sweet flowers.

He let her run this time, knowing that the hallucinations she was experiencing would be her undoing. Ferals were mostly sensory driven after all.

She was trembling in a ball when he finally decided to go after her hours later, the drugs having done his job properly for him. When he first touched her, she recoiled and scrambled to get away, but on seeing a normal human face, her whole body language changed. He knew he finally had her terrified. Now he could do his thing.

"Come here, honey. You're alright." he told her. He knew she was still strung out, and his tone and his approach was foreign particularly after the sensory disturbances that had been plaguing her. He wanted her to cower. He wanted her to do whatever he wanted just to make her life easier. Like every man he'd ever manipulated. He extended an arm toward her and to even Cyber's shock, she rushed him, throwing her arms around his neck before he could have had a chance to protect himself should her rush been an attack.

For a moment, he was ready to shove her away from him, but when she started crying, he knew he finally had some form of control over her. He picked her up like a child and carried her back to camp. Normally he'd have told his target that if they did as he said, he wouldn't drug them again. But he wondered if she even made the connection that he was the one to drug her up. He couldn't risk saying the wrong thing and undoing whatever it was he'd done.

He might have to drug her up to her eyeballs, but he thought that after all this time he finally knew how to make her comply. He had no idea how to apply his methods to her now though. How did he make her do as she was told?


	4. Old Lore

**KJAX &amp; Shinn! HI there. Thank you. You get virtual cookies for your kind reviews. **

**KJAX - I'm hoping it's not too hard to read. It will bounce around, admittedly, but I know I left a lot of things fuzzy that could be explained without putting it in the main storyline, so ... here's hopin' it's readable. **

**Shinn- Hopefully, this will start to clear it up ... or fog it up entirely. I'm not sure, but this is how I picture it. Not to say that all ferals are vikings, or that all vikings were ferals ... but their old descriptions of their warriors open up the doors for me. **

* * *

"I think you need to give it up, Stryker," Cyber said thickly, his words slurring when the Colonel came to get his long over due report on how things were moving with his female weapon. "It's not working."

"You said the drugs helped." Stryker complained. Cyber nodded his head toward Stryker for a second.

"They did. Until she built a tolerance."

"Give her more"

"Get it through your thick skull – it's not working. Even when the drugs helped, I couldn't get her to _do_ anything." The woman in question was currently sitting quietly next to Cyber, hands on her knees and glaring at Stryker as if there was nothing more she wanted in the world than to tear his head clean off.

She'd done something no one had done before – completely vex Silas Burr … known in spy and covert circles as was the man who had helped to shape Sabretooth. He'd broken the young man that would one day become the Wolverine ... but this little woman? He'd managed through high doses of poisons and hallucinogens to sedate her to the point that she would sit unrestrained at his side.

But that was it.

He couldn't get her to attack anyone. Or stop attacking someone if she decided it was a good idea. Beating her did him no good – she'd just take it and heal and try to come up with a way to pay him back. He'd woken up several times to find her simply staring at him from across the room. He could almost see the wheels in her head turning - trying to figure out how she could hurt him back. She didn't build a fear from getting beaten on as every man he'd ever groomed to do this work had done. Not one that carried over well anyhow. They had to remove the shock collar early on. It simply was too much of a liability with a man covered in Adamantium.

To make the situation even less tolerable for Burr, two weeks prior he'd beaten her badly enough that she'd quit breathing. Not what Weapon X wanted – his instructions were simply to not kill her. Something had to be done, so for the first time in Burr's memory he actually tried to revive one of his charges.

When her eyes opened, Burr himself was giving her mouth to mouth, which she found highly objectionable and displayed her protest as best she could – managing to injure him the only way she could see possible by nearly biting his tongue off. He was still having major trouble talking and he'd cursed her more times than he could count, but the woman simply wasn't going to behave as he needed her to.

"You need to keep trying. Figure her out." Stryker barked as Burr shook his head.

"It won't do us any good. The only way you're going to have a shot at this woman is if you can override her brain. Get the tech to do that and you'll have yourself a damned nasty little weapon."

"What about telepaths?" Burr shrugged.

"You can try, but without a control system of some sort, you got nothin' with her." Burr replied as he popped a pain pill. Stryker turned to K who was very glassy eyed at the moment from the dosing Burr had hit her with in preparation of Stryker's arrival.

"Do you still want to kill me, Weapon?" he asked, watching her carefully as a seductively sweet smile crept onto her lips.

"Nah. I just want to give ya a little hug." K replied. Burr barked out a laugh.

"A hug. We lost three men last week with that line," He said looking at the little woman next to him, pinching her chin between his thumb and forefinger to turn her head toward him. She began to growl as soon as he touched her. "I just don't get it. I thought the healing factor would make the torture stick. Pain cements my methods ... but not with her."

"So nothing worked?"

"I wouldn't say nothing. She's afraid of me … but instead of running from her fears, like every other sane creature on the planet … she wants to confront them. She's attacked me in more ways than all the other recruits I've ever trained put together. I can't work with that. Goes against my whole system and it's screwing up the work I _am _getting done with the other recruits."

"Keep her here. I can't have her back at the compound until we can control her. I'll send our telepaths. Maybe we can force this somehow."

"You really wanna let those guys in her head? What if they knock the wrong stuff loose?"

"If she's a vegetable, we can still use her in the breeding program."Stryker said, clearly frustrated with the lack of progress. Burr barked out a laugh.

"Likely the only way that would work out. I'd bet damn near anything she'd kill anyone you tried to breed her with."

* * *

When the telepaths arrived two weeks later, all she could remember of them was that they looked afraid as they approached her. Then her memory fogged up to nearly being completely obscured.

* * *

Logan wasn't surprised to hear that Cyber had a hand in K's pre-training regimen. He forced himself to sit down finally and watch the videos in the archive that had documented her tortures and training segments. He noticed right away that it appeared that the videos had been made in at least two different locations. He realized that in roughly two thirds of them the brass in charge of the racket was listed as 'Colonel' Stryker' with Dr.'s Cornelius and Hines overseeing the actual testing.

The last third had Professor Hudson and Dr. Cornelius handling the final testing and of course, the adamantium bonding. Stryker was no longer a part of that operation by the time the final stages were put into place for K. But why hadn't Stryker pushed for a bonding when he had control of her? Her mind would have been most malleable after the bonding. It was high time Logan did some serious reading.

K wasn't sleeping well since the memories had started to trickle back and frankly, when she did sleep, she was projecting them to him. As upsetting as seeing Cyber and Stryker working her over, it was much more disturbing to see it from K's first person point of view. He had a new appreciation for how much K put up with when it came to men giving her the eye or touching her inappropriately.

After several hours of pouring over her files, the woman herself came to see what he was up to.

* * *

She'd assumed he was digging up what he could on her in an attempt to help ease her mind. She was pleased to see she wasn't off base.

"Anything interesting?" she asked as she pulled up a chair. She felt no need to watch any of it or rehash what she was already seeing in her sleep.

"Yeah. I have it figured out to three different facilities and two different periods. Looks like Laura's intel was good. They had you twice. Too bad they don't have a lot on who was there the first time outside of the idiots in charge and Creed."

"And Colton." K added. She couldn't wait for an opportunity to take a little walk with him in the woods the next time he came around. He nodded solemnly. How different would this have all played out had he been able to rescue her when they got Greer and Colton out? Was she even there? He shook his head then returned his attention to the computer for a moment, quickly pulling up the old records they had on Colton and Greer, checking dates against K's file. If he didn't know the when on that, it was going to haunt him.

"You wanna take a break? Jubes is insisting on a fire. It's going to be a good night for it." K offered, bumping his shoulder with hers. He muttered a maybe out as he kept scrolling – he knew it had to be there. He just needed to cross check it before he could relax.

K watched him for a moment before peeking at the open file on his lap and the one on screen, realizing quickly that her beloved was trying harder than she had realized to get a truly accurate timeline of how this had all gone down for her. When he finally spotted what he was looking for, he double checked a few things in the file and let out a weary sigh as he sat back again, the open folder glaring up at him.

"Do you realize how close the X-Men were to saving you maybe … seven or eight years sooner?" he asked turning to face her. She raised an eyebrow as she listened to what he was trying to say. "A matter of maybe a week. You weren't at the facility they had Greer and me when the X-Men raided it. But you had been there, and you were scheduled to return when they got us out."

The implications were sickening to him, and frankly, he was a bit disgusted with himself _and _his team when he put together how many mutants they missed in all those raids. It really wasn't all that often when shutting down one compound or another that they'd been able to make sure all the captive mutants had a chance to get out. How many ended up dying any how just because they didn't finish the job and free them?

"Then you weren't close to helping me at all. I wasn't there." she said quietly. "If you had emptied the entire facility, I still would have been theirs, because they had me somewhere else."

He closed the file folder in his lap and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes as she watched him.

"Lets go. Watch Jubes burn some marshmallows. A break from this is probably a good idea." he replied after a moment. He didn't need to get a burn on before they disappeared for a while. It wouldn't do either of them any good.

* * *

By the time they got up to the fire, it was burning brightly against the darkness of the forest behind them and most of the more obnoxious residents had already gone back to the mansion. It was quiet and calm there – exactly the kind of gathering the two of them could tolerate. Logan sat down on a fallen log that Piotr had dragged over near the fire pit and K took a seat on the ground between his legs. It was quiet for a while until Abbey decided to break what was for her, uncomfortable silence.

"Too bad we don't have any good stories that haven' been told a thousand times." Abbey mumbled. She used to love when Scott used to tell stories to the kids at their campfires. Her mother leaned back, using Logan as a headrest while thinking about campfires of her past. A sharp pang of sadness hit her as she started to remembered her father and the stories he used to tell of the old country and what they had run from.

Between the chill in the air and the heat of the fire stacking up against the lack of sleep, it wasn't too terribly long before K drifted off leaning on her husband. She'd been out for a while when Logan realized how still she was. He shifted her weight just enough to pick her up. He nodded to the spattering of kids and teachers there before heading back with her in his arms.

She only peeked at him when he laid her down, almost as if to check who he was before she snuggled into his pillow, burying her face in the soft cool fabric. He slipped into bed a few minutes later, the movement of the mattress as he adjusted his weight behind her half stirred her again until she felt his arm across her waist and his legs slipping in behind hers. He kissed her shoulder as he settled in, his chest pressed to her back as he pulled her closer. His bulky form was reassuring and reminded her that she was safe, allowing her to drift off into oblivion again.

* * *

Little girls laughter rang out in the old growth forest like bells singing. The two oldest of them were holding hands and spinning together while the youngest sat on their mother's lap nearby, laughing heartily at her sisters. The bigger girls kept spinning faster and faster, their skirts flying out behind them until the younger one tripped over her bare feet and fell with a squeak. The bigger sister nearly fell too, but managed to recover, looking at the younger girl on the ground, alarmed until the stunned child started to giggle. All was well.

"Små flickor, come here before you ruin your dresses." their mother scolded as the older girl offered her sister a hand up, quickly brushing off the dirt on the little girl. They hurried to their mother as told – though not running, no need to trip when you were already halfway in trouble.

"Let them play," their father said with a grin, pulling the precocious, dark haired little girl onto his lap. She was content to sit there only for a moment before squirming to move – go elsewhere, pinch her sister – anything. She fell into a fit of giggles that echoed through the trees as he tickled her sides, stopping only when her mother warned him to. The little girl, out of breath from laughing leaned back onto his broad chest, finally allowing him to simply hold her while the little family prepared for their picnic.

It was a beautiful day – the first good warm _dry_ day they'd had all year and they weren't going to waste it. When their picnic was over and the girls had all played until they were ready to fall down, their father started to tell them a story as he liked to do from time to time. They loved it when he did, and they quickly took their usual positions on the 'coat he'd laid on the ground for them.

Linnea was lying on her belly, her head in her hands, and her ankles crossed as she looked up wide eyed at him. Lilja tried to mimic her, but at the first sign of anything truly interesting, she would sit up, eventually bouncing in place as she tried to contain her energy. Blåklint was already asleep on a blanket laid over a soft deep patch of grass at their mother's side while she quietly gathered their things.

"Did I ever tell you of the monsters that chased five brothers all the way from the far sea?" he asked. The girls gasped and shook their heads wide eyed as he smiled at them. Their father was a wonderful storyteller. "Maybe I shouldn't. It's a very scary story for two little girls," he said off handedly, as if he was truly deciding to keep it to himself.

"I think maybe you shouldn't," their mother said. "Stories like that are best left in the old country." His eyes lost all of the fun that was there moments before as he got somber for a moment.

"They need to know why we are their only family, Anna. They will need to understand why we must be so careful." he told his wife, who, worried her hands a moment and looked to the two little girls.

Linnea had a crease in her brow. She could see suddenly that this was no fairy tale. Lilja was still a little too young to truly grasp that – a good story was a good story to her. It didn't matter if it was true yet.

With a sigh, Anna nodded her head and quickly went back to packing the basket. When the story was over, it would be time to rush home. Pretty day or not, there were still chores to be done when they got back.

Seeing his wife at least temporarily sated, he turned his attention back to his little girls, a warm affectionate look on his face when he realized that the two of them had never broken their focus from him.

"Long ago – but not too long ago – there were five brothers. Strong, hearty men that feared nothing. They were our family, though they'd grown to be a different kind of vikingr." he paused in his tale, his whole body language changing. "Do you remember what kind of vikingr I come from?" he asked, Linnea nodded. "Well, there are three kinds of vikingr warriors. One is simply a skilled warrior that will do whatever it takes to care for his family. The second is the berserkr, the most fearsome of the warriors."

"Like you?" Linnea asked. Her father paused and gave her a warm smile as he nodded.

"Yes, flicka, like me and my family before me, and maybe if we're lucky one of you girls will be too." he indulged her before continuing on.

"But there is also a third kind of vikingr warrior that is a master of hiding and is almost as fierce as the berserkrs in battle when they have a proper pack – the ulfhednar." the girls eyes widened even more as their father continued.

"Now the ulfhednar were very different from the berserkrs – ulfhednar did their best when they were in a pack and they weren't feared outside of battle – they were well loved in their communities and welcomed. That is what the five brothers were. They traveled looking for new lands and new fights, their wolf pelts on their backs to show what they were to the world – a pack of warriors as fierce and cunning as a wolf pack."

Lilja's eyes drifted down to the fur under her fingers … from a large brown bear that her father had brought with him when he came to this new world. He often wore it on his back when he hunted. She liked wolf fur too though. She loved the feel of it as she ran her fingers through it. It was soft and long, just as it looked, where bear fur looked so rough and matted sometimes even though it was silkier than the wolf. She didn't know why, but she was drawn a little more to the bear fur, though she did like to snuggle into the wolf pelt her mother kept at her rocking chair.

"The five brothers had traveled far and were nearly to the sea on the far side of Russia after many years of adventures when they met something they had never seen in their wide travels." Their mother looked to them with an uneasy look, trying to spot discomfort as he continued.

"This creature looked like a man but was tall – very tall. Almost as big as two of them should one stand on his brother's shoulders. When he saw the brothers he asked them what they thought they were doing parading around as if they were warriors.

In their pride they boasted about their position, bragging that they had powers that most men did not. The strange man beast asked them what their clan was and on answering 'Ulfhednar! Strongest and last found from the north!' the creature attacked the one bold enough to brag to a stranger.

The others rallied and beat him back, though the youngest brother was hurt badly. They began to head back toward home, their trading done and a long trip ahead of them. For the first few months they thought often of the strange creature with claws at his fingertips, who healed nearly as well as they. But time and distance eventually put the creature out of their thoughts as they went back to their business of exploring.

Many many years later, the brothers finally found their way home and they quickly found wives that they turned into mothers, growing their pack. Life was good. Time passed and the brothers did not age, though their children grew to be strong and smart.

Before long, their travels called to them again. There was a new world to be explored, one that the old vikingr had sung songs of across the sea to the west. The old ways were dying in the north and the brothers were not ready to let go of their way to live because some monk had swayed most of the farmers and workers for much of the north. Their pack was large. Strong – and far large enough to handle any threat to them so the brothers went east to get the things they would need to make offerings to the Gods for blessings and their passage to be safe."

"There again, at the sea on the other side of the world, they came across the same creature that had fought them more than a hundred years before. But this time, the beast had others with him." his tone darkened as he continued his story, the little girls hanging on his every word.

"Again, the brothers fought. But, they did not win." The girls gasped as their father leaned forward, his expression fierce. "the creatures killed all but the youngest, who had carried scars from the first meeting with him. Not knowing what to do, and not being the leader, the youngest of the Ulfhednar brothers rushed home alone. It took him several years to make it there, but he did – navigating the wilds of Russia alone until he'd found his way home, now the elder of his pack. His rest was short. Afraid that the beasts had followed him, he sought out help from a band of berserkr not far from his home. The berserkr did not believe his story – after all, everyone knew that a pack of Ulfhednar was all but unstoppable. Before he could get his clan to leave, the creatures arrived in the night and slipped into their homes as they slept, killing first the young Ulfhednar that were almost grown – the children his brothers left behind. The terrified cries of the women and children drew the band of berserkr in and the battle began as the creatures finished off the rest of the ulfhednar pack."

The girls were clearly entranced. Linnea had risen to a sitting position, and was hugging herself. Lilja had a little frown on her face and her tiny fists were balled up at her sides while she sat on her heels. Their father's expression softened on seeing how different his girls were.

"Is this too scary?" he asked, watching them both carefully. Linnea was shaking her head, though it was clear the story scared the daylights out of her. "Lilja?" The little girl narrowed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "Lilja, come. You mustn't get upset now." he said as he gestured for her to join him. With a huff, she stood and took a few steps to where her father could pull her in closely and give her a hug, setting her on his knee.

"I don't tell these stories to scare. I tell them because one day, when you are all grown, you might need to be prepared."

"For a monster?" Lilja asked quietly, her eyes wide. She was so small to worry about such things.

"Yes, min vackra små blomma. I hope not, but yes." he told her. She snuggled into him as he motioned for Linnea to come too, each girl perched on his knee, an arm around both he continued.

"There are monsters in the world, but we should not be afraid of them. Never be afraid of them. We are stronger than we look. Tougher than they know. We are the last family of Odin's berserkr _and ulfhednar_– if we're lucky you girls will be berserkr too."

"Is mama?" Linnea asked, and her father sadly shook his head no.

"No. Her father was the youngest ulfhednar brother in the story. This happened when she was barely bigger than you, Linnea. She is only here because she could hide so well." The girls turned to look at their mother, who sadly smiled at them.

They could see the truth of the story in her melancholy and without any prompting, Linnea jumped up and rushed to her.

"What happened to the berserkrs?" Linnea asked, looking up at her mother.

"They killed all but the oldest of the creatures. He slipped away, back toward the east under cover of darkness and the strong scent of blood and smoke in the air. They would have followed had they not found me hiding." she told them. The girls were quiet as they took it in.

"Is it bad to be an ulfhednar?" Lilja asked quietly so that only her father could hear.

"No, little one. But I think it would be far better to be berserkr. Ulfhednar only find their strength in a pack." he told her, studying her carefully. Her little face scrunched as she thought. "Tell me, små flicka. Which is it that speaks to you? The wolf or the bear? Maybe something else?" It was possible these children would be neither. HE hated to think of it that way, but never before had a berserkr and an ulfhednar wed. These little ones could be a new breed of vikingr.

"The wolf is soft and very pretty." she said, her father's shoulders dropped a hair. "But, the bear looks tougher, even though it's just as soft." His eyes locked onto hers as she continued. "I think I'd rather be able to hide like the wolf, but fight like the bear." He smiled and nodded his head.

"That sounds very wise for such a little girl." he said quietly. "Maybe you will choose a different fylgja than all of us then."


	5. Last Chance to Cooperate

**Hey guys! Thanks again for the great reviews! Lets see if I can answer your questions now. **

**KJAX - no no. Not your fault. Just makes it more dramatic if there are near misses. More fun that way. Possibly useful for later too. **

**Shinn - you got it, but look for it in the 'Roots' storyline. You can bet Henry will be on it already. **

**Retro - Yep! Romulus the pain in the ass of the ages. Though, the berserkr and ulfhednar were real viking warriors, so I'm sticking with they'd look like everyone else ... now, if KJAX says he's ulfhednar, then sure, but to my knowledge, I don't think so. Check out the picture he has on his story 'X-Force: Feral' for a better idea of that big ol' badass. **

* * *

Logan stretched out slowly, trying hard not to disturb his naked wife. It had been a long time since they'd had nowhere they had to be and nothing to do. Frankly, he was enjoying it.

It was the third day of their retreat in Nova Scotia and they'd stayed up far too late the night before watching the aurora borealis and enjoying the salty night air while K finally told him all she could remember thus far about her childhood.

He'd heard abbreviated versions of the stories her father had told the girls as children – cautionary tales that thinly veiled family history. From what he could decipher so far, he thought her familial background could be the reason that she'd been so incredibly difficult for Weapon X to deal with.

When she got to the part about her stepfather though, he found it hard to listen to, his blood pressure rising all the while.

They covered a lot of past territory, and it wasn't a one sided conversation as Logan filled in whatever gaps he could from his long and tragic past.

They discussed their similar experiences at Weapon X and discussed the time line of it, moving on to talk of their family together. They weighed out staying on at Xaviers and the X-Men, and K even got the guts up to breach the subject of more children. It was incredibly hard for her to do, and she knew it was something he wanted. Before the discussion was over, she popped a claw and dug out the implant below her belly button, tossing it toward him without saying another word.

He kept her sufficiently occupied until she damn near passed out from exhaustion.

She was hoping as she passed out that she'd be too worn out to dream.

….

K was floating in a genesis tube, her hair drifting in the greenish liquid, a mask tightly around her nose and mouth. A sensory deprivation helmet covered her ears and her eyes were half closed. They'd been pulling the visor down on the helmet until recently. Right then, she could see the people moving outside of the tube and she carefully tried to track their movements, though the water obscured who it was out there. She felt an odd tinge that started at the base of her skull and tickled it's way down her spine. Her heart sunk when she felt it. She knew she'd have no control over her limbs. After what felt like forever, but likely was simply a matter of minutes, the water in the tube began to drain and she sunk to the bottom in a heap.

At least this time, her head lolled backwards against the glass rather than forward. When the water was drained, the tube tipped backward before it opened, making it easy for the men hauling her out of it to handle her limp and slippery body without trouble. She wondered vaguely what it was they wanted her to do this time. She was slowly building a tolerance to whatever drugs they'd pumped into her system, but she realized quickly that it was in her best interest to play along until she could fight off the drug nearly completely. If she was lucky, she'd have a chance to make a break for it during a mission. She'd been sent on three missions that she could remember, but compared to those, this seemed a little different.

One of the first things they did differently was to remove the sensory deprivation helmet. She tried not to greedily take in her surroundings, instead trying to do her observation purely through peripheral vision. The team that handled her consisted of two psychics, Burr, and an in-field handler, but whoever that was for this run, she just didn't know.

Today, they had added a full hair and make up team. She tried not to draw attention to her awareness as Stryker and the Professor entered the room behind the two way glass next door. She could hear them – her hearing much sharper than normal after being in sensory deprivation. As it turned out, it was required to make the programming and drugs work on her, even if the effects were fairly short lived.

"Burr is right, professor," Stryker said clearly, "We have every single option in play on this woman but she simply doesn't respond as the rest of the ferals do. We thought it was a female issue, but after we've successfully implemented these strategies with other women, it's clear that _she _is where the problem lies."

"She's already been more costly to control than the others – she's incredibly high maintenance, which I wouldn't have a problem with if it weren't for the fact that we still can't reliably get her to do as she's told." There was a pause in the conversation.

"We have a newer version of the control unit we used on the original Weapon X – it's a little more invasive, but the end result should be the same. I'll have Cornelius fit her with it immediately," the Professor said. K could practically hear Stryker smiling. "However, that still won't deliver the results you want until you can find a way to traumatize her. Who is to be her handler tonight?"

"Last time it was Maverick, so this time out will be our very own X-22." Stryker replied.

"Let me know how it goes. She'll hardly be useable as a weapon if she needs a handler to keep her in line. Forget that you haven't found one that can actually direct her. I want her operational as a single unit."

Her eyes were halfway open when Stryker stepped through the door. She was starting to get nervous now. She was effectively paralyzed for at least the next hour. Even with Stryker close enough that his heavily applied cologne was burning her nostrils she couldn't _do_ anything. Her claws felt as if they were going to shoot from her hands when he stood this close. She wanted to growl when he brushed the loose tendrils of half dried hair out of her face.

"Make her pretty boys. Non-lethal mission tonight. She should be able to pull this one off without any problems." Stryker instructed before turning his attention to her. "I don't know if you can hear me, but if this mission doesn't go off perfectly, your life is going to change dramatically."

….

"Ready to deploy, sir." Apex rumbled as K sat motionless prepped and ready for the black tie affair being held in the British embassy that she was to infiltrate. The drugs were at their peak effectiveness and given her tolerance level, they had approximately three hours of an open window before they would begin to fail. Apex would be in her ear at all times. For his benefit, a small camera was hidden in some very delicate looking filigreed silver work around her neck. She looked like a princess – sure to fit in with the crowd, her dress was strapless and fitted all the way down to her knees before the fabric flared out slightly, her hair was swept into an elegant up-do, the effect of it all highlighting her neck and shoulders beautifully. No one would ever guess what her purpose was.

The mission was fairly straightforward. She was to mingle and set bugs throughout the embassy. Child's play. The only difficult part was going to be the attempt to place a bug on the SHIELD director who was to be in attendance.

She was walking up the steps when Apex echoed in her ear.

"Director Fury is notoriously paranoid. Don't be too obvious with him or you will be detained, and I will have to initiate." She didn't respond to the voice in her ear, instead smiling mechanically at the soldiers at the entrance before slipping in and scoping out the place.

She hadn't been inside even ten minutes before Stryker caught sight of her from the bar. Proof that this was a true test run. His body guards were watching her intently as she glided through the crowd, indulging the various higher ups from both countries as they would come across her. He smile was subdued, but it didn't seem to deter several of the British Lieutenant Generals who found her to be the kind of bird they would like to keep around.

Her response to them was appropriate, flirting just the right amount and promising to return to them later for a dance. Even with all the interruptions, the bugs were in place all around the embassy with an hour to spare. All she had to do now was get Fury.

She'd been careful to avoid any eye contact with him, though she saw him watching her several times. She had decided on a possible course of action when one of the younger British brass stepped into her line of sight with a martini in his hand for her.

"Not sure I caught your name, miss." he said, his most winning smile in place as he handed her the drink. She smiled coyly as she took it, Apex finally broke the silence in her ear as he told her to hurry up and get to Fury while she still could. The young man didn't take the hint though and to her irritation, Stryker called the young man to introduce him to an American three star general.

K took the chance to set the martini down on the bar nearby. Before she could turn to leave and try her attempt, Fury approached her.

"Buy you a drink?" he asked, though his tone was not a warm one. His offer took her off balance a bit. There was nothing about him that read friendly.

"Thank you, that's very generous." she replied as smoothly as she could. Apex started to say something in her ear, but the feed went fuzzy suddenly as Fury stepped closer.

"Why don't we take this somewhere more private?" he offered. She wrinkled her brow. Somehow from him, it didn't sound like a come on. She nodded and he offered her his arm leading her off deeper into the embassy.

They ended up in an office and as soon as the door closed SHIELD agents seemed to materialize out of the woodwork. She was surrounded in a heart beat.

"I have a feeling I know what you are, lady. So which is it? You're either a spy for Weapon X or their newest pet project. Either way, I'd like to offer you an out." Fury said.

"I don't know what you're talking about." K replied, doing her level best to come off as terrified at the armed men around her. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Oh, you're a fine little actress, but why don't you cut the bullshit. Your handler is three blocks down in a surveillance get up, Stryker has been watching you all night like your head is going to spontaneously combust and you've got a bug in your purse, that if I'm not mistaken, is meant for me. Am I wrong?" She let out a heavy breath and looked around the room at the men around her as Fury watched her. She wasn't prepared for this scenario, and if what they'd told her was to be believed, he was going to kill her now. She wouldn't go down easy, but if they succeeded somehow, she didn't want to die a liar.

"No." He nodded and put his hand out.

"So give it to me. Your mission is a failure without placing it and I know they won't let you off with a slap on the wrist. Give it to me and maybe I can help you."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Maybe because I can think of a better use for you than Colonel Stryker's pretty little spy." Fury replied. He'd said just the right thing.

"I am _not _his pretty little anything." she half snarled, setting Fury back a hair. Without breaking eye contact she pulled the bug from her clutch and handed it over. To her surprise, he simply pocketed it and nodded to his men. She knew it was coming, so she didn't fight it when they searched her roughly. The one to her right looked up at Fury and shook his head.

"Where's your weapon?" Fury asked. Her voice shook as she answered him, breaking her protocol entirely.

"I am the weapon." His whole body language changed at her answer and he openly looked her over, trying to decipher how she could be a weapon. If that were true, then he could be making a huge mistake trying to turn her.

"I know some of the people they've used as Weapons. Hell, one of em is a good friend. You don't fit the bill."

"Well, why don't you tell that to Stryker so I can get the hell out of there. I'm sure you two could arrange a black ops tea party." K half snarled back. He smirked at her and after a moment he signaled his men to back off. He took a step forward reaching into the pocket inside his jacket to reveal a tiny metallic device.

"This will track where you are for me, but not until you activate it." He demonstrated how to use it and handed it to her. "Activate it when you are back to the compound and alone. We need to know where the new complex is." She stared at the tiny piece of plastic and nodded her head. She was thinking far more clearly as the last half of the hour ticked by. "You wouldn't be the first enemy operative we've taken in and reformed. I'm sure you won't be the last."

…

Fury let her go a few moments later and nervously, she headed toward the back exit, as was the plan, slinking through the darkest rooms of the grandly laid out building, her exit would be unseen by the handful or so of military and dignitaries that had tried to make her acquaintance.

Her mind was racing … the drugs nearly out of her system now and she found herself wondering if she could just slip away into the night.

She knew nothing of Fury or SHIELD and didn't know if trading Weapon X for SHIELD was a better option or not. Both felt like large looming government run slavery rings. Given the chance, she'd likely give both the slip.

She had no idea what the protocol was when her feed died out, but she was sure something was going to happen. She was nearly to the exit when she realized Apex was nearby. She stopped and turned her head slowly, scenting out the area.

That was the first real mistake on her part, tipping him off that the window of her drugs and programming had closed. He growled the tiniest bit in spite of himself, and she turned toward his direction, her brain still working at less than ideal capacity. She cursed the dress she wore … the style no doubt chosen to keep her from total range of motion with her legs. The heels weren't helping one damn bit either. She couldn't run – not from him while dressed like this, so she prepared herself as best she was able, dropping her clutch and taking a ready stance. She knew going into it she was screwed, but there was no way in hell she'd go down without a fight. Even if she knew she'd likely lose.

He hit her like a freight train, one hand over her mouth, as he tackled her to the floor. She was really fighting to get her legs back under her, and wriggling fiercely beneath him as he tried to get her hands away from her. He got one and forced it under his knee. Her one free hand tried and failed to reach his eyes. When she couldn't reach anything vital she went for the pressure point at his jugular notch, but he managed to knock her hand back.

She arched her back, trying to throw him off almost comically as the dress gave her little movement or flexibility while he reached into a side pocket. His eyes never left hers while she pinched the hell out of the nerve clusters on his forearm in an attempt to make him let her go. Her options were waning. She managed to finally jamb her thumb into the brachial plexus and for a moment he looked surprised at her progress, his grip involuntarily weakening, but he had found what he needed in the pouch and while watching her try to bite his hand, he pulled the cover off the needle with his teeth before roughly jamming the loaded syringe into her neck. Her eyes widened a bit and she put in a last good fight while he readjusted his position over her crossing her arms over her chest then covering them with one of his, leaning down onto her, crushing the wind out of her. No reason to cover her mouth if she had no air. He growled low at her when she struggled harder for a few moments, sure to keep her quiet and still until something beneath him broke, the sound of bone breaking clear and unmistakable. She seemed to scream silently for a moment until the drugs took effect and slowly she went limp. She was still awake, but that would be changing soon anyhow. When he was sure she was neutralized, he searched her before simply slinging her over his shoulder. The clutch she had carried in with her lay in the hall, Fury's tracker still inside as he silently padded out of the Embassy.

If she had delusions of escaping Weapon X, they were dashed now.

….

She woke up to Stryker backhanding her. She was still in her gown, though her hands were tied. He'd hit her hard enough to knock her off the chair she was propped up on.

"You were compromised and you didn't surrender yourself immediately to your handler." Stryker snarled. "What happened with Fury? Why didn't you put the bug on him? You had him."

"I bugged him." K said, blood running from her nose.

"What?" Stryker looked surprised.

"I placed the bug – like you told me to. I didn't fail." he looked to Apex who took a moment and nodded. She wasn't lying. There was silence as he looked at the little woman drawing herself up to a sitting position on the floor, her feet pulled up under her. Silently he looked to one of his aides and nodded as she began to filter through the feeds from the planted bugs.

K stared at the floor, head down as she waited to see if Fury really was going to try and cover for her. She could see Apex glaring at her from the corner of her eyes. If he was onto her, she'd be in trouble. Guy didn't know when to mind his own damn business. When Fury's voice echoed through the room, Stryker turned to look at her, just watching her as they eavesdropped on the SHIELD director's conversation.

"I didn't think you'd be able to do it." Stryker said, pissing her off – he had set her up to fail. "Why did your communication relays go white?"

"I don't know." K replied – it wasn't a lie. She didn't know the why.

"Was there anyone else in the room with you and Fury?" he demanded. She hesitated for a moment, knowing damn well that to lie would set off Apex. Instead she simply didn't answer. She knew it was the same as admitting it but at least this way, she didn't give them more than she had to. He narrowed his eyes at her – her reluctance showing clearly now with the drugs completely out of her system.

"Are you going to tell me what I want to know, or do I need to drag it out of you?" Stryker asked, glaring at her, his tone more dangerous than she'd heard from him before. He knew that if he couldn't get it from her quickly, he never would. No amount of drugs or psychics could reverse that. She stubbornly refused to answer.

"I've tried with you, K. I've been lenient, trying to take into account that you just needed a different approach. I can see I was wrong." Stryker said with a finality to his tone. "Apex, bring her to Simulated Environment Module Alpha. Leave the restraints on."

Of course, Apex didn't hesitate. He'd scooped her up in an instant and carried her under his arm toward the SEM.

"Why do you fight your orders so much? Make it easier on yourself." Apex mumbled.

"Why _don't _you fight it?" K responded.

"Like I told you before. Your lack of fear will get you killed. If you live through this, you need to submit."

"What do you mean? If I live through this?"

"I'm not the only operative here." She wrinkled her brow. Of course he wasn't. She'd been around Burr, Maverick and Wraith.

"Is this another weapon?"

"No. He's a specialist … and I can't help you." Her wariness level spiked when he more or less tossed her into the enclosure. As the door closed and she stared through it at Apex's retreating figure, a growl echoed the enclosure. Her heart fell through her stomach. She should have known that sooner or later this would happen.


	6. One Step Forward for X

**Hi guys! Thanks for the reads &amp; reviews ... I'm afraid I'm going to have to get a good chunk of this out of my way before really hitting 'Roots' again, but I promise, I'm adding to the next chapter for it here and there. This one is demanding my attention though. And in case it wasn't clear - many many thanks to KJAX for collaborating wih me on this ... explanatory endeavor. **

**Guys, guys, guys ... of course it's Creed. Who else? I mean, read KJAX's story ... he's the only one I haven't really truly hit in here yet. **

**Retro &amp; KJAX - as for Fury, he's an ass. And no, he's not monitoring her. He was hoping to make a power play - to keep a possible spy for himself, but it didn't work out. Of course, he knows what she looks like now though, so the chances of her infiltrating SHIELD without it being super sneaky are next to nothing. As for why he never said anything to Logan after they got involved? Like I said, he's an ass and he doesn't share any information he doesn't absolutely have to. **

* * *

She tried to get her feet under her as a chuckle echoed the room.

"I don't think they've ever gift wrapped anyone for me before. You must have done something really stupid for them to throw you in here like that." A low, growling voice rang out, echoing through the room as she tried to pinpoint where Creed was coming from. The echoing effect obscured his position more than she liked.

"Why haven't I seen you before? I can smell Apex and Stryker on you … and Fury," he paused and she could feel him really concentrating on her, taking in everything from her slightly distressed hair to her pedicured toes peeking out of her high heels. "What did you do? Who are you?" His words came out slowly as if he was trying to figure it out by looking at her. She side stepped away from where it sounded like he was talking.

"You're not getting away from me, girl, but if it makes you feel better to run … by all means, I'd love to chase you down." He seemed to melt out of the shadows, a little closer to her than she'd estimated. She took a few steps backwards away from him instinctively, not that she had anywhere to go. He laughed at the look on her face as she tried to wriggle her hands free of the ropes holding her wrists behind her back.

"Bound too … this is too easy." he smiled.

"She's yours to play with, Creed – just don't kill her. She needs to learn her _place_." Stryker's voice echoed through the chamber.

"You hear that, frail? _You're mine._" She was still trying to keep distance from him as he stalked up on her slowly. "And I know exactly how to show you where you belong," he growled out as she stepped on the back of her dress, stumbling a little. She didn't fall – not that it would have mattered.

He lunged, and she let out a little scream as he made contact, tackling her to the floor and knocking the wind out of her.

"You can do better than that, girl." he growled out as she struggled, her hands behind her back. It really was as if Stryker had gift wrapped her for him – a beaded lace covered snack. "Lucky for you I'm in a good mood." he growled out as he started to nip at her neck.

Through the clear walls of the enclosure she could see Apex and Cyber. Both looked to be simply observing as she squirmed under Creed. She was starting to panic, finally as he groped her.

"No – please, stop. Don't." she managed to breathe out, shaking like a leaf as he slipped his hand between her legs under the dress. She could feel him smiling on her neck as she trembled. She shut her eyes tightly as Cyber grinned and raised his hand to an unseen party.

"You don't get to make requests." She flinched as he tore the lace and satin of the dress with both hands, slipping between her knees. The dress was tight enough he wasn't going to get anywhere without destroying it. Not that he had a problem with that.

It was clear no one was going to stop him and begging him to stop seemed to have the opposite effect. He hooked her knee over his arm and practically folded her in half – she had no means of helping herself – until he moved his arm to undo his belt. She made a last ditch attempt at pleading with him to stop, in tears and shaking with fear, as he chuckled at her. She was nearly petrified but she wasn't going to give up.

Not with those heels on.

She pulled her other knee up to her chest and Creed raised an eyebrow in approval – clearly misreading her intentions. All at once she jammed her heel down hard on his hip, pushing him back just enough for her to arch her back and bring her other foot down in his face, catching him in the eye the first time. He roared with pain and tried to take a swipe at her as she began kicking at him with both feet, tears streaming down her face as she continued to use every bit of fear and rage in her against him, her teeth gritted and hyperventilating all the while.

She caught him time and time again with those stilettos, face, neck, chest. Hands, arms when he reached for her. She was alternating high and low until she got a solid shot on him in the groin and he doubled over toward her, gasping and swearing. She quickly tried to roll out of his way, but the other heel caught on his inner thigh as he fell. She couldn't kick him anymore and he had her legs pinned under him until she wriggled her way out from under him, kicking at him again from her side once she had her legs cleared. Blood was flowing freely until he finally gathered himself up and got a hold of her leg, dragging her closer as she panicked freshly.

With a curse, he snapped the heels off her shoes and began flat out beating on her.

"If I gotta beat you half to a pulp first I will, but you won't get away with that you little bitch!" he snarled out, his fist raised to bash her face in.

"CREED." Cyber shouted out. "Stop. We've got what we needed." He paused, his fist drawn all the way back and a sneer on his face as she still tried to scoot away from him. Both of them were still shaking for very different reasons when Apex dragged her away from the enclosure, Creed growling in the most unsettling manner for all in attendance.

"Apex, take her to Cornelius. We finally have something to work with to make this programming stick." Cyber directed before looking to K. "Almost makes me wish I'd 'ave thought of that." Cyber mused. "Almost. I'm glad it was Creed that took the beating," he chuckled. "Should have known a pretty little thing like you has had someone force himself on her. Why else would you be such a royal pain in the ass." She looked haunted as Apex led her off, still tied, though now her legs and what was left of her dress were splattered with blood and it was much harder to walk with the heels broken off her shoes.

"How is she walking right now?" Creed demanded, limping a little from the wounds she'd inflicted that hadn't quite healed up. Apex slowed, gauging his reactions, ready for him to charge while his back was turned. It wasn't really wise to remove one of Creed's playthings before he was done with it.

"One foot in front of the other." Cyber laughed. K was still shaking, her dress barely hanging on.

"I _mean_, she should be in the damn ICU, not takin' a stroll with the pussycat. How long have you been hiding her from me?" he sounded irritated that he hadn't been included in the loop.

"That's not your concern, Sabretooth." Stryker interrupted from an observation platform above. "You know what you need to, and there was no reason to tell you – until now, that is. We needed you to do your _job. _Which you did perfectly._" _He looked more livid now than he was moments ago.

"I'm not done with you, Frail. I took it easy on ya. Next time, I won't hold back."

"Make sure you don't. Seeing as I kicked your ass with my hands tied behind my back," K cut in with a little growl, infuriating him to the point that Cyber stepped in to stop him charging her. Apex quickly dragged her out of the room before Creed could do anything further.

* * *

Once the door behind them closed, she began to breathe quick and shallow, her body beginning to go into shock from the trauma. She began to loosen up a bit now that the adrenaline had started to drop off. He marched her along at a quick pace, and at first she didn't even pay attention to where he was taking her, disoriented still from the experience.

All at once she realized she was in a different part of the building. Her heart rate leapt as she wondered what Apex had planned for her – her father's warning about steering clear of feral males screaming in her ears like an alarm. Her first encounter with Creed had nearly gotten her raped, after all. What was Apex up to? More of the same? She knew she couldn't fight off another large male.

She was practically running on tip toe just to keep her feet under her, cursing the broken heels until she could suddenly smell that the air around them wasn't as stale. He stopped just for a moment to punch a code into the door before yanking it open, the blast of frigid spring air hitting her strong enough to blow the loose strands of hair back from her face.

He yanked her hard outside and within ten steps or so, she slipped on the remaining ice covering the concrete. He paused just long enough to simply pick her up and tuck her under his arm like some package before continuing on his way, stopping occasionally to look for guards.

K noticed as they came to a darkened area outside of the compound that the security cameras were pointed outward, not in. He'd taken her to a dead zone. Her heart picked up again, pacing along with a runaway train, terrified of what was next. He set her down just long enough to slam her hard into the concrete bunker wall, bouncing her head against the back of it, and knocking the wind out of her as he just stared at her for a moment. She felt like he was trying to look right through her.

"What are you?" he demanded. She didn't entirely catch the tone in his voice for the ringing in her ears.

"I don't ... don't. " she stammered, using most of the air in her already half compressed lungs and squirming to try to get away from him, her eyes closed and her brows drawn. He just increased the pressure on her chest as he leaned in closer, inches from her face as she winced at the pain of both being crushed and her lungs screaming for air, gasping uselessly for a breath.

"What … Are… You."

"I don't know what you mean." she managed at a whisper. For a moment, he just watched her as she was ready to black out, even her heart slowing from lack of oxygen - then he let the pressure up a hair, just enough to relieve the searing pain in her lungs, but not enough to let her move.

"No one escapes Sabretooth," he nearly breathed out. "Ever." She was keenly aware of his overly close proximity and the fact that no matter what he wanted from her, after dealing with Creed she was completely spent.

"That's what everyone keeps saying," K replied quietly. She had no idea what it was he was after at this point. He looked … frustrated as he glared at her. She didn't even try to fight him. She just didn't have it in her.

"I know what you are." he said suddenly, his tone sounding confident. Her muscles tensed as she locked eyes with him, unsure of what his meaning was or what he could know. "The rest of them don't know, but I do."

Had he seen her popping her claws when the camera in her cell switched off? Her breathing and heart rate kicked up again and she swallowed hard. He'd certainly eyed the dried blood on her clothing from time to time.

"You're not just another feral," she held her breath. "You're a predator." She wrinkled her brow. "And you've been holding something back. Something you don't want them to see." She locked her jaw as her shock mingled with defiance. "What is it? What are you hiding?" She almost let out a breath of relief.

He didn't know. For all his quiet, stalker like observation, and the many times she'd been drugged, he didn't know. She'd wondered if she'd accidentally popped her claws while she was out of it. Apparently, she had not.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she said coolly, her voice returning to her. He started to growl and she simply raised an eyebrow at him. It was a rough spot to be in. She knew that he knew that she was lying. Yet, she guessed that this interrogation was of his own design – it didn't feel like a move Stryker would make. His mouth tightened in his irritation and he tried another angle.

"He was told to stop. You didn't kick his ass."

"I know."

"You're too stubborn for your own good."

"I keep hearing that too," she replied unsteadily. "Admit it though, weapon or not, they would never do ... _that_ to a man. It's too far. Even for them." There was another pause as he studied her.

"They will break you."

"Then I'll break them with me."

* * *

As they made their way toward the lab this time, they passed a chamber K had never looked into. When she did, she wished she hadn't. Creed was limp and tied into what appeared to almost be an electrical chair. He looked like he'd been to hell and back and for the flash that she saw him, it was taking four men to move him out of it.

"What's in there?" she asked Apex, nervous about what they could have done to him to put him in such a state. He locked his jaw and pulled her along a little quicker. "Apex – what is it? Can you tell me? Please."

"You'll find out soon enough," he replied curtly. She looked over her shoulder at the men carrying Creed out, still totally out of it. When she slowed too much, he simply stopped to throw her over his shoulder again. He'd wasted too much time trying to get answers from her that she was just too stubborn to share with him.


	7. Success

Apex was staring at her again from across the mess hall. No matter how many times she'd glare back or even just ignore him, they guy just kept staring. She knew he was sometimes her handler, though she couldn't really remember all of the last mission they did – he was the only one she didn't have the desire to draw and quarter yet, but that didn't mean he had to just stare at her every time they let her out for meals or missions.

She re-wrapped her fingers around the one cup of coffee she was allowed, unwilling to even taste it. The stuff they had here was awful – overly bitter and too strong. It was the smell she wanted anyhow. She didn't know why, but it seemed to help her think a little clearer. It felt … good. It was her one little pleasure in that hell hole.

But there were mornings like this, sitting alone as always – where no matter how hard she focused, she couldn't _remember. _She knew she was forgetting something, but what the hell was it?

She closed her eyes and pressed her palm onto her forehead between her eyes. The pressure seemed to help ease the pain of forgetting. Was that even a thing? Why did forgetting something hurt so much? She was lost in her lack of thoughts when she heard him padding toward her. That only meant one of a few things.

Either her time was up and she had to go back to her cell or the lab, or it was prep time for a mission. None were options she liked. Lab time … lab time was something that always ended with her not remembering anything. At all. For days.

The missions she was always sent on grated on her. They had enough guys to do the bulk of the covert ops no problems. The only issue they really had was that none of them were fit for the 'face time' missions – jobs where the operative had to be seen as a means of stealing the vital info, distracting someone, or getting close enough to assassinating the right diplomat.

"Mission prep in five," Apex warned her. She let out a weary breath. Fantastic. Likely, another mission of fancy clothes and _smiling_ with idiots. Not to mention Apex in her ear the whole time.

_Well, he's still better than listening to Wraith,_ she thought to herself. _At least Apex doesn't talk unless he has to._ She nodded at his warning. It was really a means to say 'drop the mug, time to get to work now.' She leaned forward and took a long slow breath, her eyes closed before she simply stood up and walked ahead of him, as he insisted she do.

That really grated on her. It was bad enough that she couldn't remember anything. To add to it this big jerk staring at her as if she was ready to explode made her want to do just that. She could feel his eyes on the back of her neck. What the hell did she ever do to him anyhow?

The briefing room was overly large – a huge conference table filled the center most section of it, cushy chairs lining it with the focus clearly the large monitor at the end of the room. K took a seat halfway down – too near the screen just made the idiot on it look huge and too near the door gave her no room to react should someone burst in to tie her up and drag her off to the lab – or reprogramming.

After she sat down, a soldier walked past and handed both Apex and her folders containing the pertinent details of the mission. She had hoped it was a stealth mission. She almost enjoyed those, and she was an asset for them in that right. Aside from being sneaky as hell, she could fit into the tiniest of spaces that all these men couldn't dream of. She barely cracked it open. She didn't need to read it, after all. These people were redundant as hell. At some point during the briefing, Stryker's giant head would disappear from the screen and be replaced by whoever it was they wanted her to kill. The fact that Apex got a folder too was proof that he was to keep her in line. She didn't need to know the details.

As soon as the briefing was over, she stood and turned to leave. Now it was just a matter of turning herself over to be prepped – which would take hours. She hated missions like this. Just hated them. The male operatives seemed to think it was perfect for her – a few hours for her to get all dolled up and mingle while they did the dirty work. She would have traded her heels with them in a heartbeat.

She had to know how to operate as well as any of the men, and she had to be able to do it all in heels and a dress after hours of torture – her hair pulled tightly to get into the style they'd chosen for her, eyelashes curled, brows shaped, and let's not mention the gratuitous waxing of her legs and … other areas. That was new. How much did they expect her to do to this guy?

Finally, after losing most of the day, she was ready to deploy, looking entirely out of place with the military men around her. Apex met her as she left her prep team and again made her lead the way to the hangar. When they got there, she was shocked to find both Stryker and Sabretooth on the chopper already. She looked at them strangely as she took a seat far removed from them.

The hatch sealed out all the noise but the quiet whine of the stealth helicopter's engine firing up, leaving them with a relatively quiet hatch to speak in.

Creed didn't say a word, but his focus on her was overly concentrated. At least he wasn't in a tux. That would have been a night to forget that they would use against her for ages. Must mean they expected her to be a high flight risk. Not that she'd been able to get away from them yet. Ten minutes out and Stryker finally gave Creed a signal. He stood and crossed the short space to where she was sitting to hand her an ear piece and secure her with whatever weaponry she'd need. She'd just gotten the ear piece in when he pulled her to her feet and stuck his hand under her dress to place her pistol in the thigh holster the dress covered. She jumped at his hand and went to push him away when Apex growled and Stryker intervened.

"You know you're not allowed to touch your weapons until you're outside of the chopper." he told her as her heart rate jumped. Why did it do that? She couldn't remember Creed doing anything outside of creeping her the hell out. Still, his hands under her dress made her want to stab him in the head, not calmly balance herself against the walls of the chopper. He took his time, but before he removed his hands, he made a point to brush his thumb firmly against the lace between her legs. A sharp pang of fear hit her as he touched her. Slowly, he removed his hands, only to place them on her hips as he stood up again, the look on his face was something that fit perfectly with her nightmares.

"I'll be doing your debriefing when you're done with the mission," Creed told her with a grin. "Doesn't matter much to me if you succeed tonight. The outcome will be the same once you're back at base," he whispered low enough that really only Stryker couldn't hear it. But it was loud and clear to both she and Apex. She wasn't nervous before, but she was now. She almost didn't respond to the test on her ear piece.

On landing, she was rushed over to a limo, Apex on her six. When the door closed behind her, she nervously stared at the chopper, her heart racing and her breathing quick and short. Why the hell was she so scared suddenly?

"Focus," Apex reminded her. "He's trying to get you to screw up so he can punish you. Ignore him." She nodded and closed her eyes as she shook, clenching and unclenching her hands before shaking them out. She had to shake this feeling before she popped her claws. For some reason that she couldn't remember, she didn't want to show anyone her claws.

The mission. Right. She had work to do – people to kill and Apex was clearly appraising her again. No time for the splitting headache. She had more or less pulled herself together by the time they were in line at the soiree honoring a dignitary from South Africa that had hammered out some peace treaty. She didn't care much about that though – she had to find the scientist that had a paper almost ready to publish that proved something about mutants … she didn't know the details. All she knew was that he was labeled as a threat and he had to die. Who he was a threat to was of no concern.

"Just do it quickly and get out," he reminded her. "I'll be in your ear." Yeah. No kidding. She smiled tightly and nodded once.

The ball was another amazing affair, tuxedos and finely dressed women everywhere, and K of course, fit right in. For a moment she had to laugh. There couldn't be too many black ops agencies with evening attire as a line item in their budget. Maybe SHIELD, for Black Widow. K had seen her at a few of these functions, usually on the arm of some government high mucky muck. K smirked to herself – speak of the devil.

She almost dropped her smile when she saw the taller redheaded spy was on the arm of the man K had been sent to kill. Perfect. This wasn't going to be nearly as easy as they'd told her it would be.

She'd have to be fast and opportune. _Sooner_ or later, the Widow would have to step away for a moment. Her orders were long standing to not cross an Avenger.

"Do not engage her," the reminder rang out in her ear. She wanted to swear at him. Yeah. She knew. Don't pick a fight with the Avengers. Avoid Fury like the plague. Don't get spotted by the X-Men. That last one just got a little harder too on spotting their representative in politics, the wheelchair bound Professor Xavier. She wondered if he had a body guard too. Shit. Maybe she should have read that file a little bit more.

Almost on cue, some politician slipped up behind her, sliding his hand onto her ass as a means of introducing himself. She stowed the desire to remove his head and smiled coyly at him, not sure how much of a set up this was when he offered to introduce her to the scientist with Romanoff. Well, it was a direct route to get near the man.

She barely listened to the introductions, and gave her name as 'Katherine' when asked. Not once had she given the same name, yet she answered to whatever she gave flawlessly. The Widow watched her closely – apparently aware something was wrong, or suspecting it.

She smiled and engaged in the conversation as she removed the transdural poison from her purse. She hated having to take this route, but with the way the Widow was watching her … it simply wasn't going to happen any other way. She smeared it across her palm, and as she stood, her balance wavered, allowing her to fling her arm out to catch her balance. Being a gentleman, he of course, quickly grabbed her hand, thus transferring the poison to his own palm. She smiled, looking pale as she excused herself and quickly made off, the Widow looking at her strangely. She had about thirty seconds to get to the door before Romanoff realized what she'd done. Ten steps from the door, and almost on cue, a commotion rose up from the table she'd just left as the scientist dropped dead.

She was sweating already and feeling sick to her stomach – her system working hard to clear it out. She rubbed her palm on her dress in an effort to rub off any remaining residue. She could practically feel the crowd closing around the table she'd left, and she controlled herself, rushing down the steps before Romanoff could have a chance to break free from the crowd. She turned the corner from the consulate and broke into a run, her vision blurring.

"Apex, I need a pickup," K panted out, as she hurried off. He pulled up with her ride at the end of the block, scooping her up as she swayed. It was not an ideal assassination, but the job was done cleanly and she hadn't been caught or even spotted, really.

When they got back to the chopper, all seemed to be fine. Their decon crewman was carefully cleaning up her arm and hand – making sure that all residue from the poison was gone. She didn't even care when they had her strip on the spot, handing her fatigues two sizes too big in place of the evening gown. She leaned back in her chair, eyes closed and her lips numb when Creed took a seat next to her.

"Too bad about that mission, frail," he said, sounding as if he felt sorry for her. She cracked a weary eye open at him, not understanding what she could have done wrong this time. "You were made."

"By who?" K asked, her pulse starting to pick up again. No matter how perfectly her missions went off, it seemed Stryker was finding ways to change the rules after the fact.

"Black Widow now knows your face. You have rendered yourself useless for these kinds of missions now. So we don't have much use for you," Stryker said calmly. She was thunderstruck.

"She knew what I was walking into that place," K defended.

"No, she suspected. _Now _she knows," he replied. "You can bet your face is now in the SHIELD database. You have outlived your usefulness." She couldn't hide the shock on her face. Again, she felt as if this was nothing but a set up. She thought it was a set up to break her spirit. She looked to Apex, who was silent. Of course. God forbid she have an advocate.

"S'alright, frail. I gotta use for ya," Creed purred out as he slipped his hand on the back of her neck. She scrunched her shoulders up as he chuckled. No.

"Bullshit," K challenged, her voice lower than they were used to hearing. "I don't have a cover like the rest. You send me into their faces – they know what I look like from the beginning. I can't remember all the missions I've done for you, but I know I've done them. I did _nothing _wrong." Stryker watched her for a moment and nodded his head.

"You're right. You performed perfectly," Stryker admitted. "It just so happens that Creed here went above and beyond on his last mission and is due a reward. You'll heal from whatever the two of you do together."

She couldn't hear for a moment. Everything went numb. She didn't even feel Creed pulling her closer.

"You've finally proven you can be an incredibly effective weapon. Now we just need to remind you that you belong to Weapon X – and you will do _whatever _you're told and tonight, you will do whatever Creed says," Stryker said with a finality that simply had no other interpretation. She bowed her head as Creed pulled her onto his lap, physical possession of his newest chew toy. He'd get to drag her back to his enclosure and whenever he was finished with her, they'd take her out. She was limp, totally in shock. Stryker took it as a good sign. He reached across the aisle and tipped her chin up, her eyes remained downcast.

"Don't worry. You did so well tonight, we'll make sure that you forget any of this ever happened tomorrow," he told her, an attempt to reassure her. She could quickly become his favorite weapon if she would submit as he wanted her to. If she just realized she wasn't really a _person, _he might be able to trust her more. He was clearly happy with her job tonight.

Her brow creased the tiniest bit as she realized what he was telling her. He was the reason for all her headaches and the feeling of memories lost. How many times had he done this to her? In a heartbeat, she couldn't control it anymore.

In a smooth, single, lighting fast movement, she'd sent the claws in her right arm through his chest, stood up and kicked Creed in the throat. As both fell to the floor, Apex was already up, and staring at her claws, ready to engage. Stryker looked as though he'd seen a ghost, swearing, his eyes glued to the bloodied claws protruding from her fist.

"I don't want to hurt you," K told Apex as she backed up a few paces, Apex keeping the gap from widening. When she got near the hatch she simply slid it open and jumped before he could reach her. They were high enough up he couldn't follow her without causing himself great injury and frankly, they had to get Stryker to a hospital.

Apex looked out the hatch to see a splash in the water far below. Before they'd flown too far off, Creed jumped from the chopper on Stryker's word. He'd be broken up on landing, likely worse off than K was seeing as she'd hit water, but he'd heal quicker than Apex – and he had more motivation to find his prize.


	8. Transition

**Retro, KJAX &amp; Shinn - Thanks for the reviews, as always! Makes me type faster, which is saying something since I already type pretty fast. **

**Retro - why, thankyou. I thought it would be a fitting exit. **

**KJAX - a-yup. Nicholas is going to have some questions to answer, but not for a while yet. He's not the only one either. ;) And for the record, K _is indeed _quite the little swimmer. She's also pretty damned fast on her feet too. **

**Shinn - thank you! Hope this keeps your interest then. It's time for a little tie in to waaay back. Something I always had envisioned, but couldn't explain without sounding hokey in the main line. **

**Without further ado ... please, enjoy this mid-week offering of story time while I go grab a cup of coffee. **

* * *

The lake was ice cold and she broke a leg when she hit the water, but she could keep her head above and had little trouble swimming. Setting the leg in the water alone wasn't easy, but she got it done. She'd seen Creed fall from the chopper and knew she wouldn't have a lot of time before he was on her tail. He was a hunter after all, and people were what he hunted best. She just hoped the kitty had a thorn in his paw for a little while ... or you know, a shattered spine would be great too.

On hitting the shore, she began to run due east, only because she knew that the Weapon X facility was to the west – it helped that the wind was coming from the west too. It would be harder for Creed to track her if her scent wasn't blowing in his face driving him on. With any luck, the lake water would help to cover her scent, too.

She'd gone maybe eight miles at a near dead run before she had spotted a fast moving river flowing south east and the waters looked dangerous. She could almost spot the rocks under the bubbling water. But it also looked like the best bet away from him. South would almost surely bring her closer to people, and that should mean more options to hide. She slid down the river bank and slipped in, trying to float her body and paddle with the current, keeping her head above water while the currents rushed her downstream. If she was lucky, she'd get a good distance between her and Creed. If she wasn't, he'd likely drown her.

She rode the quick current out until the river widened and calmed, then she swam to the opposite bank and started to move again, running as hard and fast as she could manage. She knew she needed miles between her and where she'd fallen – the more, the better. If Creed didn't recover her fast enough, they'd likely mobilize and that meant choppers and lots of ground units. She sure didn't need all that noise.

She realized she'd made the right move when she heard a freeway nearby. Looking down at herself, she knew she looked like a train wreck, but she did the best she could to try and pull herself together. She followed the road east and tried hitching, but no one was picking up someone dressed like her. She looked like a military kook or a deserter.

She heard the whine of an engine cranking down and looked over her shoulder, spotting what looked like a large black SUV. She paused for just a second before darting off the road and running like hell. No way was she climbing into something like that. The man that was driving shouted after her, but didn't follow her.

Going on the main road dressed like she was couldn't have been the smartest move on her part. She didn't see another crossroad or even a trail for what she guessed was another three miles when she started hearing choppers in the not too far distance. They were mobilized. How pissed off was Creed right now when he realized he _couldn't _track her? There was no other explanation. She wasn't gone long enough to warrant the mobilization otherwise. She wondered vaguely if Apex was on her tail now too. Most likely if Stryker was attended to. If one tracker was good, two was better, right.

She heard a noise to her right and froze, paranoid as she scanned the forest around her. Seeing nothing she cautiously turned her back to the noise, hoping to bait whatever it was out if it was a predator – or worse. It was a minute or two before she heard the noise again and she turned to spot a rabbit.

As soon as her shoulders slumped, she heard a rifle cock.

"Don't move now, lady. I don't want to shoot you," a totally unfamiliar voice rang out. "If you know what's good for you, you'll just put your hands on your head and don't move." She thought it over and slowly complied, not wanting to spook this guy, all the while running scenarios in her head on how long it would take her to kill this joker and how many rounds he'd squeeze off before she stabbed him in the heart. He was ten yards from her when his voice changed.

"What the hell're you running from, honey? You ain't even got no damn shoes on. Come on. Put your hands down. I think it's pretty clear somebody just ain't treated you right." the man said after he slung the rifle and knelt down to look at her feet, shaking his head.

Aside from leaving himself wide open, there was something about him she just couldn't help but trust a little. She let out a weary sigh of relief. She might actually have done it.

"You don't have any weapons, do you?" he asked. She thought about it a moment and felt her leg where the thigh holster was –

"No. No weapons." she said with a sigh. He nodded his head.

"Alright, come on then. I'll help ya." he said with a kind smile, offering her his hand.

The man was huge. Nearly as tall and broad as Creed, but clearly of a much better disposition. They trekked out to his truck, nearly a half mile from where they were as he told her of all the activity.

"Buncha black helicopters been circlin' about five miles north of here for the last hour. Don't know what they're lookin' for, but boy, are they ever lookin'." When she sat down, she all but melted into the bench. It felt so good to just sit for a moment. Especially when she knew she'd made it out of their search zone.

"So … girl in the woods in military fatigues. Don't see that every day." She shook her head once. "You wanna tell me what you were running from? Some kinda trouble, clearly." She nodded. "Well, I ain't gonna hurt ya. You can relax. I'll take ya where you'll be safe. I know a place, but it's an hour's drive to the south."

"Thank you." she said quietly. Yes, further south. Please. The man wasn't lying, and without meaning to, she started to nod off.

* * *

When she woke up again, it was with a start. They were in a parking lot full of all sorts of vehicles bearing the SHIELD insignia.

"Oh fuck." she whispered, jerking back toward the door of the truck when the man spoke again.

"Just calm down. Be happy I found ya before the other guys did. _Their_ orders were to kill if they couldn't catch ya," he told her, that same calm tone. "Come on now, there's someone you need to talk to – you _are_ the one they're lookin' for, right? There's not another tiny brunette runnin' around barefoot in fatigues is there?" She was frozen.

She'd jumped out a helicopter to escape Weapon X only to get picked up be SHIELD on the first day. Before she could figure out what to do, the door behind her opened and she nearly fell out of the truck. There was a line of agents all around the truck, weapons raised.

"They put up a show, but they're more scared'a you then you are'a them. It ain't every day a Weapon X operative shows up without orders to kill 'em."

"I'm not an operative –- and who said I didn't have orders to kill them?" K asked, earning a much more serious look from her rescuer.

"You were runnin' from their trackers and somehow made it out of the initial search zone a helluva lot faster than they anticipated. You were thirty miles down stream of the southern boundary before they finished the initial radial search. They had just expanded their search zone when I found ya." he told her. "I'll bet you don't even know where you are." He paused before he continued, breaking the ice by offering her his hand. The name's Heikkinen. Bill Heikkinen."

"I'm K." He smiled again at her.

"Well, K, you sure got those Weapon X boys in a proper uproar. You'd think they just lost the gold goose the way Stryker's screaming through that radio at everyone," he replied with a twinkle in his eye. "I got someone that wants to meet ya."

"As long as I don't end up back by Stryker, you got it, mister," K replied, looking tired still. Bill chuckled and the agent holding her door open stepped out of the way as she exited the truck. She walked next to the tall Finlander all the way up to the large nondescript building that seemed to have no doors – just mirrored windows all around it. The look of the place made her pause, and Bill turned to look at her, waiting.

"You alright?" she looked around at the swarm of agents around her …. looked to be about thirty of them. All of them armed. Seemed unfair that they'd all be dead in five minutes time. "Honey – come on. No one here's gonna hurt ya." His familiar phrasing eased her mind for some reason and she haltingly started to stalk forward again, hugging herself as she looked at the men around her.

Two hallways and an elevator ride later, he led her into a large bright office with a single, cheerful agent inside.

"Hello," he smiled down at her. Another one that just seemed to exude calm vibes. "Please, have a seat," he directed. She looked around the room. Bill had taken position leaning on a desk, his arms and ankles crossed as he nodded for her to go ahead and relax a little. Cautiously, she pulled a chair out and sat down, her movements very much like a wary animal.

"I'm Agent Coulson. Director Fury wanted me to make sure that we got you far away from Weapon X, should you or anyone else ever break out and make it far enough that we could get to you. I suppose congratulations are in order. You're the first in a very long time to get away from that facility."

He had a little half smile to his face and he appeared very casual to K's tense stance.

"Do you have any tracking devices?" She almost answered 'no' but thought better of it.

"I don't know. Usually when someone broke out, Creed would hunt them down," K replied. Coulson's eyebrows rose.

"I wasn't aware that Victor Creed was still under their employ. Do you know why he didn't hunt you down as well?"

"He did," K replied. "He just didn't catch me yet." He looked surprised, and his eyes flicked over to another agent near the door.

"And he's not going to," Coulson replied. "I won't lie to you – that's a pretty impressive feat. Mr. Creed is not someone that has a reputation for letting one slip by. We'd like to offer you an option out. Director Fury is hesitant to bring operatives from the Weapon X project into SHIELD's ranks, but that doesn't mean we want to see you carrying out their missions."

"I'm not an operative," K corrected. She felt the need for him to understand … she wasn't just a spy. Coulson paused, looking at her harder.

"If you're trying to tell me that you're a weapon, then I have to warn you. They won't likely give up on finding you any time soon. A good friend of Fury's was the original Weapon X, and they _still_ hunt him. Chatter says you're an improved version – if you're the one they've been calling 'K'."

"Chatter's wrong."

"What's your name, miss?" She paused before she answered with a little shake to her voice.

"K." Something about the way she answered had him softening his features.

"Well, we'd like to put you in a kind of a weapon relocation program then, as it were," he explained as he sat down. "We have a handful of trusted agents that could take you and set you up with a place to live and you just have to keep your head down while we monitor for trouble. It's pretty simple. As long as you keep out of trouble, and our agents keep regular contact with you, you should be safe."

"Sounds like probation," K replied dryly. Coulson's smirk grew into a crooked smile.

"Almost. Only if you break probation they don't want to turn you into a mindless killing machine and keep you in a cell," Coulson said. K had to nod her head.

With that, Coulson led her to a transport to take her off site. Apparently, even though they were out of range, Coulson had his doubts on how secure their facilities were against two feral trackers. He was concerned enough to break protocol to bring her to the helicarrier.

"No Weapon X operative has been on the helicarrier without being de-programmed first. I'm hoping this isn't an elaborate ruse to assassinate Fury." Coulson said, watching her reaction carefully.

"My orders were always to avoid Fury like the plague - and never to engage an Avenger," K told him. He smiled.

"I'm sure that Agent Romanoff will be happy to hear you never planned to fight her the night you killed the geneticist," Coulson said with a smirk.

They spent the next few hours discussing what talents she had and where she was originally from. She tried to remember more about Weapon X for him – but she was drawing blanks.

"K. Relax. Erasing memories is one of the things that they're really good at in that organization. You probably will never be able to get back what they took away."

"Too bad you can't get erase _them _for me."

"Actually, if you want us to, we can do that. Your agent will need to have a partial modification. They'll know they need to help you, and how to get us if an emergency arises, but for their own protection, they will not know you were a Weapon X experiment." Coulson was quite kind in his explanation.

"And if I let you mod my memory – what's to stop you from doing the same thing they were and just using me?"

"You just have to trust us. All of our operatives are working for us of their own free will."

"Who would my agent be?" she asked, not wanting to deal with someone which she had no report.

"That would be me, honey," Bill said with a small smile. "I was getting' ready to retire anyhow, and the old family farm needed someone to run it, so I guess we can go there. It's not too far from where you're originally from anyhow."

She looked between the two men, her gaze toward the floor.

"It's entirely up to you, K. I would strongly recommend this course of action, though," Coulson said frankly. It didn't take long for her to think it over.

"I wouldn't have to answer to anyone – or go on a bunch of missions?" she asked, looking impressed when Coulson shook his head no. "Yes," she said nodding. "Please, get them out of my head and hide me." Coulson and Bill both looked relieved.

* * *

Logan just watched her smile in her sleep. The past few day's dreams were littered with misery, and she'd been open to telling him what she was remembering when she wasn't projecting. He had to admit he wondered how K could have gotten away from Weapon X unassisted with Creed on her tail. Even he hadn't had to deal with Creed when he escaped.

As she slowly woke up, he felt a smile creeping onto his face. He understood a lot more now, though there was likely a lot of questions that would have to be answered.

He now had a running list of 'old friends' that needed their ass chewed out. Fury and Coulson at the top of the list with Colton.

Bill however, deserved some form of an apology. Logan had distrusted him from day one. Now at least he knew why. The man worked for SHIELD on the Q.T. - her best friend for years was one of Fury's agents.

Fury. Now. There was a conversation that was going to need to be had somewhere remote where the blood wasn't going to bother anyone.

This whole time and the bastard hadn't said word one to him about his wife. Fury and Coulson both. Hell, the whole lot of 'em. Tasha must have known if she'd come across her. But Fury and Coulson? Never a peep _and _he'd wanted to recruit her after Logan had trained her? That was some serious horse shit.

Colton … Colton was nearly as far up the creek as Fury. How much did he remember? The memory mods weren't supposed to work right on him … so that meant he knew. _He knew._

He wasn't blaming him for all that had happened to K, or even how he'd handled her …. been her damn handler even. No, wait. That did piss him off. He'd been her god damned handler and never bothered to mention it. _Why? _There was no good reason for him to not tell him.

K stretched out before looking up at him with a sleepy smile on her face.

"I'm a little cold," she said with a purr. "Maybe you could warm me up a little?" The anger melted from him for the time being as she pulled the covers back for him to join her.

If she could be so relaxed after the last week of remembering this crap, he could put it on the back burner until he ran into one of these guys. They only had another two days of their retreat before they had to go back anyhow. May as well make the most of it.


	9. Rock and a Hard Place

**Hey there! Thanks for the reads and reviews! **

**Shinn - thank you. :) I'm glad you liked that. **

**KJAX - a LOOOOOONG time. Long time. Couldn't work it into the main storyline without it being weird. Or like an out of place flash back ... so of course, I'll just make a place JUST for out of place flashbacks. SO very glad I have your input on how those two re-meet. This is going to be FUN. **

**Retro - wait and see! ALL things in my stories come around eventually. **

**FFR - I think I answered that for you in a PM, but to clarify for anyone else that might be wondering - this was the FIRST time she was in Weapon X's custody. When she accepted SHIELD's help, she got a mindwipe from them for her troubles and a gigantic Finlander for a SHIELD approved protector. Probably going to dip in a little to the old waters where necessary to clarify things, but these memories intersect into what she's remembered in the FIRST story in the 906 (Surprise FaF) and others too. :) Hope that helps!**

* * *

Linnea's arrival did little to ease K's overwrought mind – really just cementing that the stories she was remembering were likely true retellings of family history. She started asking Hank for help digging deeper into the meanings behind it all.

"How many other types of ferals are there, Henry?" K asked as she took a seat across from the blue doctor. "I mean if you were to classify them – there's Logan and I – whatever you want to call us. And Creed – he's a little different. Then of course, Colton and Greer. I'm remembering all kinds of things that I forgot who knows how long ago, and I don't understand all that Linnea is talking about. Any chance you got a little insight for an old lady?" Hank chuckled at her.

"Quite likely. It's been a pet project for years – mostly because of how old some of the ferals are. The 'type' that you and Logan represent … the more easily concealable ferals … seem to be the oldest lines. Not too many furry ferals of old it seems," Hank answered. "I'd be happy to do a bit more research." She smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks.

Now to go listen to her sister lecture her about feral men again and how Logan was the worst choice she could have possibly made. The second week worth of Linnea telling her to drop Logan and find some nice man to have a dozen babies with had worn her patience down to next to nothing. It was almost worth it to see the look on her face when K told her that she already had the father of her children, thank you very much, and if she wanted to 'grow the pack' she needed to go find herself a man and get to it.

* * *

Logan had gone on a mission and the first day he was gone was absolute torture. Linnea pestered her nonstop – not believing that K simply didn't remember all that her mother had warned about. She was worn out just listening to her. Abbey had started laughing at her mother as she showed signs of exhaustion early in the afternoon.

"You're showing your age," Abbey said one afternoon while K stirred her coffee. "Go take a nap old lady." K raised an eyebrow at her.

"You'd be acting tired too if you'd been listening to her bitch all morning," K yawned. "Let alone the past … what? Month?"

"Go, sleep. You need it," Abbey told her. K thought about it for a few minutes before finally nodding and abandoning her coffee. The walk upstairs felt as if it simply took forever. The two little weeks in Nova Scotia seemed so far in the past.

God, how she wished Logan was there. She slept better with him, woke up in a better mood, and frankly – he made it easier for her to tolerate her sister's idiocy. She stripped down and slipped one of his flannels on before crawling into bed. Burying her face into his pillow with a small smile. So much nicer to pass out when enjoying her husband's scent.

* * *

"Wow. Nice farm," K said as Bill pulled up to the old farmhouse.

"Glad you like it. There's a little apartment over the barn. It's yours as long as you'd like," he told her with a little smile. "Take your time settlin' in, but we start busting colts on Monday."

"Sounds great," she replied with a grin. She couldn't remember exactly, but it felt as if it had been years since she'd even gotten to ride. He handed her the keys to the place, and she made her way there.

The little apartment was just big enough for her to do what she needed – sleep, eat and bathe in privacy. Nothing more. There was a window that faced into a birthing stall – unoccupied until the mares were ready to drop their foals. Then, it would be part of her job to watch them and help if they needed it.

It was the kind of work that she liked best. Working and training horses – beautiful Reining horses to boot.

She spent the whole of the afternoon clearing the dust out of the apartment, the windows wide open and the sun streaming in. By the time she was done, it no longer resembled a haggard little hole for a barn hand, but a cozy little hiding spot.

She felt no apprehension as she laid down to bed that night. She felt perfectly safe tucked away in the barn – the sounds of the horses in their stalls making it through the thin walls and soothing her.

By the time Monday came around, she was raring to go. She proved herself quickly to Bill, and unlike other trainers he'd had around the place, she never felt the need to yell at the animals – using body language to get her point across instead.

Bill's brother Graham made his way to the old farm to check on his brother not two months into his take over of the old farm.

It took him no time at all to spot the little woman staying in the barn.

"Come on, Billy – you can't expect me to believe you got her on payroll to _train._ What's she doin' for ya, really? It ain't horse work." Graham laughed as they watched her haul the equipment out to the round pen. She was getting ready to work the little stud colt that Bill was banking on becoming a winner. K had already done miracles with the headstrong three year old.

"I'm tellin' ya – she's a trainer. I haven't made a pass at her yet, and I don't think you should either." Bill warned him. "She's not just a pretty face."

"Ain't her face I'm lookin' at." Graham said low.  
The two men watched her from the porch of the house as the big stud tried to give her a hard time. But, true to form, she had him settled and riding smooth in a matter of minutes. She was working on side passes when the two men made their way down.

"Where'd you learn how to do that, honey?" Bill asked. It was easy to see she was using a very light hand.

"I don't know. Here and there, I guess," she replied, frowning a little as she tried to make the connection. She knew what to do and how to do it, but it came out as almost instinctive since she couldn't explain herself.

Hours later, after all the chores were done, and everyone was fed well, K found herself sitting on the porch with the two men, drinking beer and watching the deer come out of the forest to the feeder Bill had set up to watch them.

"Bill," K said suddenly, "How long have I known you?" He was quiet for a moment as he tried to decide how to respond.

"You've known me for years, honey." he told her – following the script that SHIELD had written up.

"Don't lie to me, Bill. Really, how long have we known each other?" she asked again. "It feels like it's been a while, but I can't remember much past when I came here." She watched him out the corner of her eye as he visibly looked a bit shaken.

"I've known you since before then, honey." He said, "At _least _two weeks longer." he said as sarcastically as possible. She cracked a smile at the comment. "I can't believe you got such a shitty memory. You must have really clocked yourself in that helicopter accident." She wrinkled her brow again as she tried to make the connection. Something about a helicopter, yes.

"Yeah," she all but breathed out, staring off into the woods. Bill and Graham shared a look as she spaced out.

The first six months were rough. Occasionally, K would ask a simple question like that and Bill would come up with some answer that came close enough to the truth to feel close to right. In less than a year, she'd found the remains of an old lumber mill in the woods … the stone wall holding back the creek crumbled, the building itself fallen in around its rotted timbers.

He helped her secure the land, but she insisted on building it herself. A year beyond that, she finally moved in to her little cottage in the woods, celebrating with their friends by attaching the new waterwheel and drinking far too much.

The stud colt ended up being a prize winning reiner with Bill in the saddle, a feat he was always sure to credit her for, though she refused to have her picture taken. She didn't know why, but she didn't feel comfortable with anyone knowing who she was.

Life was good, and as the years moved forward, she was teaching local kids and older women to ride, training outside horses, and sending show horses to the ring for Bill. His horses were winning everything they went into - experienced riders or not, it didn't matter. His competition tried to woo her away, but she refused, happy with the little life she'd carved out for herself.

And then the accident happened.

Another barn owner, that knew Bill well but never spoke directly to K, showed up and started watching her as she'd work in the afternoons. When the training day was over, K would regularly head up to the bar with Bill and the boys to grab a bite and a beer before calling it a day.

The horse she was working was a little green and a lot skittish. No matter how hard she worked her, the little mare never settled down. She was just about to give up and tell Bill she thought she was a cold back when the other barn owner stepped out at the edge of the ring and startled the mare. K managed to ride it out, but chewed him out for spooking the horse, and stormed off, mare in hand. She was too angry to continue riding now.

The other barn owner followed her to the bar and quickly made a pest of himself, offering to buy her drinks.. asking what it would take to buy an hour of her time, then reneging on it and trying to make it sound as if he meant training time.

The guy was a sleaze, and she wanted to jam her claws into his groin.

The drunker he got, the more forward he got until the boys at the bar ended up throwing him out. Sadly, it went on like that for weeks, until finally she snapped and snarled at him, silencing the whole of the bar as she told him off.

She should have known he wouldn't leave her alone. When he startled the same mare, not long afterward, he watched in horror as the hot little mare went over backwards on K. He heard the sickening crunch as the horse rolled over her and broke her neck. He rushed to her side, half horrified, half satisfied that she'd gotten paid back for turning him down – but then it all went wrong for her. She turned her head and cracked her neck … before sitting up, holding her head in her hands as she tried to regain her bearings, the barn owner staring at her open mouthed. Then he started looking her over as she insisted it wasn't a big deal.

"Honestly, I'm fine," K said a little nervously.

"I heard you break your fucking neck. You're not fine …. you shouldn't be standing," he said, then realization washed over his features.

"No, no no no no. It's not what you think," K said, shifting gears fast. So many bad things had happened to mutants on the news. Lynchings. Straight up murders in broad daylight.

"You're one of _them," _he said, his tone accusatory as he backed her across the arena. "Why don't you give me a reason not to call you in right now." She was stunned. She still wasn't thinking clearly from her injury. Her back hit the fence and she was left with no where to go as he stopped inches from her.

"I don't know what you're talking about" she replied. This couldn't be happening. He looked smug as he put his hands on her hips, pulling her close to him.

"Then when the MRD shows up and they run their little test, you'll have nothing to worry about. Unless you can give me something to keep from callin' em." He didn't even hesitate, unbuttoning his pants with one hand and slipping the other up her shirt.

Anger replaced everything else for her as she pushed him back. No words would come.

"It's not that bad, sweetie. Just treat me right and I'll keep my mouth shut." Her cheeks burned bright red and she lost her composure.

"I should kill you right now you piece of shit," she snarled. "You really think I'd go along with that?"

"You don't have a choice." he spat. "Now be a good little girl." He froze and the color drained from his face when she growled.

He wet himself when she popped her claws and started stalking toward him. She stopped halfway across the arena as he made it over the fence. His car was close by and he was already on the cell phone with the MRD.

She retracted her claws and watched for a moment as the wounds sealed themselves before the tears started to flow of their own accord. She'd screwed herself properly. Shaking her head, she ran up to the house and in tears told Bill basically what had happened, leaving out of course that she'd popped her claws.

"It's alright, let me make a few phone calls, I'll take care of it," Bill tried to reassure her, SHIELD already on the line as she shook her head and ran for the treeline. He shouted after her, trying to get her to come back, but it was too late.

* * *

She was deep in the woods when she heard the choppers overhead. The sound gave her a chill – familiar and dangerous. It would be nearly a month before she found herself one state over and in a vacation community. She broke into a cottage there and cleaned up before stealing some clothes and a bag and walking right down the street to a bar on the edge of town.

It wasn't too hard to talk the owner into hiring her. Pretty bartenders were good for business. She was just settled in there when Victor Creed bellied up to her bar.

* * *

She woke up with a start, surprised to see Rose setting up a tray for her next to the bed.

"It's nearly noon," Rose said. "Are you alright? You didn't come down for dinner last night. I think you slept straight through." K felt positively beat as she sat up and pushed her hair back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just … been feeling off since -"

"Sinister?"

"Yeah. Pretty much," K replied, though that didn't feel quite right. She felt great on the trip. She couldn't remember being this tired in years.

"Well, Dad will be back day after tomorrow," Rose said quietly. "That's good right?"

"Yah. It's noon? We're halfway there."


	10. Sister Stories

**Hey guys! Thanks all around to you fine people. Generally reviews make me type fast, but that doesn't mean editing doesn't slow me down. **

**KJAX - Yes, I will hit on more 'memories' of her time with Bill &amp; co. But I'm going to try and structure it a little so it makes sense with the flow of the main line or I can try to make a decent chapter out of it. whichever works best at the time. And hey - I like to hear that I'm spoiling you guys. You rock!**

**Retro - NO one lives a charmed life, not even stories with happy-ish endings. **

**FFR - That chapter (and most of them here) tie in to the 'Growing Up' storyline. Fill in the blanks if you will, so yes, in the last chapter, she was pregnant. That chapter took place mostly while Logan was on his mission. On his return, he let her know what her medical situation was - ol' sniffer caught it. **

**Shinn, guys ... thanks for the praise. I hope it keeps your attention, if not ... well, come on back for the other story. ;) For clarification before hand ... this chapter starts off when they have just returned from fighting Romulus. I'm going to try to differentiate the flashbacks better too. **

* * *

_"They say the rain will wash away all your sins. We know that to be a lie. All the rain can do is to wash away the blood that has been spilled in the heat of battle," the tall blonde haired Swede told his dark haired little daughter. "If we have fought well, and have earned Odin's favor, he will make sure the rain will cleanse us of the blood. But only if we've given all we can."_

* * *

Her father's voice echoed in her mind as she tipped her face skyward, arms outstretched and palms up. For a moment it's louder than the rain as it intensifies around her, washing the strong smell of blood down her naked form.

Her breathing is even and deep and as the blood washed away, the heat left her body. When the rain finally let up, she was surprised to find Logan in a similar state of undress, washed just as clean as she was, only the most stubborn dried clots stuck in her hair still. She didn't have to breathe a word before he pulled her close and when he did, his scent mingled with the strong smell of rain broke her heart.

She'd given more than she felt she should have in that battle. They had walked away victorious, but there was one casualty too many. More was given than what ever should have been asked and now? Now she just wanted to sleep and escape having to think about any of it.

_"We give what's required, and when someone tries to take from us, we give them more than they bargained for." _the lost baritone of her father, again resonating in her consciousness. Reassurance in her mind that they had done well, in spite of the price.

Didn't make her feel any better though. It was all a blur until she was in bed, Logan's warmth keeping her together as she curled up to escape in her dreams.

* * *

_Bright blue eyes smiling under a tangle of white flyaway hair. The two little girls were giggling again while under the covers of the bed they shared. Sunlight was filtering in through the thin blanket and the smaller girl thought she was doing a fantastic job hiding from their big sister, who was pretending she didn't know where the little ones hid._

_All at once, the covers were snatched off them and the littlest girl screamed with laughter, jumping up and running circles around the biggest girl, who cannot contain her laughter as little Blåklint squeals echoed the little log cabin._

_Linnea and Lilja were giggling uncontrollably when their mother called for them._

_"You sound like little gremlins – all that giggling. Get dressed and come down. You are late to breakfast again," she said, a smile in her voice, as she shook her head at her silly little girls._

_When the girls came tearing out of their room, it's to do a few laps around the table as their father watched them with a quiet smile._

_Though sons were always more revered at that time, he wouldn't have traded one of those little girls for a dozen boys. Their mother finally got them to settle down, but the peace of the meal was still broken from time to time with little giggles as they kicked at each others' chairs under the table. K smiled in her sleep at the memory rec_overed.

But as dreams often do, the sweet memory faded to a much more grim picture.

_It was the following spring and the birds were finally singing outside, though the whole log cabin felt gray and cold, even with a fire roaring in the wood burning stove. The smallest of the girls were both sick, curled up together in bed, shivering under the blanket while their fevers were raging._

_Their mother looked aged and tired, sick with worry as the tiny girl with white hair struggled to breathe, no longer even crying when she coughs, though the pain in her chest was terrible._

_The doctor had come and gone, and had just grimly shook his head at them before giving their mother some remedy for the cough and telling her how best to 'make them comfortable.'_

_Clearly, little Blåklint was far worse off than Lilja._

_The days and nights have melded together in their fever. It was dark out, and Lilja can see her mother's sleeping form in the rocking chair near the bed. She shifted her sore little body and found that her little sister was cold. She tried to warm her up but soon realized that she simply wasn't breathing._

_In a panic, she tearfully called for her mother, who on seeing that her smallest child had died in her sleep fell completely apart._

She can't breathe in her dream. She wanted to cry but the tears just wouldn't come.

* * *

K frowned as she woke up to Logan's chuckle against her back. She pressed her eyes shut tightly for a moment as she soaked in the warmth radiating off him. Talk about harsh differences. Her heart hurt as she tried to shake off the old memory.

"I know you're awake, sweetheart. You have a visitor," Logan said, his voice low and quiet. Without picking up her head, she cracked one eye open and can't help but stare at the shock of white blonde hair and blue eyes shining at her. _Bl__å__klint_. No. Wait. That _is_ her name. But not her Blåklint. This girl is not her sister. Her niece.

_Dear God, this is what she would have looked like at this age._ K thought to herself as the girl spoke.

"Thank you for helping me," she said, her voice like a bell reaching out from the past as she laid a little daisy chain crown on the pillow next to K's head before she let herself out.

If Logan couldn't feel the shock and sorrow coming off her, he wasn't paying attention. Her hand drifted up and she fingered the petals of the daisies as Logan kissed her neck. It's real. It's not a dream. She shook the thought from her head and snuggled in deeper in his embrace.

_Push it out of your head. Push it back where it belongs – the past. She's gone. Has been for a very long time. _

The image of the girl wouldn't leave her head as long as she could smell the daisies so she turned in his arms to bury her nose closer to his chest. One. Two. Three deep breaths of pure Logan and she started to relax, three more and she's ready to try and drift off again, praying to whatever Gods may be listening to not make her dream anymore.

She's had more than enough dreams to last her these past few months. More than enough of the memories she'd forgotten poking their sharp noses into her brain. She made up her mind after dreaming of Blåklint.

As soon as she got out of bed, she was going to talk to Quire. Have him shut everything off. Bury it. Erase it. Just make it stop. But not right then. Not while she still just wants to sleep, her body feeling as though it was made of lead, even her hands don't want to put forth the effort to curl up into her husband's hair as she drifts back to sleep and slips into the memories … though this time they are quite familiar, just not something she's thought of in years.

* * *

_K is listening intently to what sounds to her like a freight train coming through the woods. She stares at the direction of the sound, tense and ready to fight … no time to run, when two teenage girls burst through the underbrush, the map in their hands was torn and dirty. They looked as if they'd been to hell and back._

_"Oh my god. A person. A real live breathing speaking person," the one with her hair dyed some bizarrely bright shade of neon said._

_"Hi – um. You're not going to kill us, are you, I mean, you're not some psycho axe murderer?" the more blonde one asked, twigs sticking out of her hair. K slowly straightened up, kicking dirt over the remnants of her fire._

_"No," she replied eyeing them warily. "What are you two doing way out here?"_

_"We're um. Kind of lost? I mean-" the pink girl stammered, blushing brightly and clearly afraid to say more as the two girls share a furtive glance at her._

_"Are you running from something?" One looked near tears as the other actually whimpered before nodding. K looked them both up and down quickly as she started kicking more dirt over the fire, quickly snatching up a few things from the campsite. She heard someone in the distance shouting about a mutant._

_"Stay low, quiet and follow me. Do not speak." she ordered, the two teens following her lead in an instant as she quickly and quietly led them away to a hiding spot nearby. The girls were tucked into the small cave just as the handful of men made it to the campsite. They trashed everything, turning it all inside out as they looked for clues as to the owner of the site. They grumbled for a bit before they went back the way they came, convinced they'd gone the wrong way._

_"Give me your map," K ordered, and the girls quickly obeyed. She looked it over closely and asked where they had come from. The pink haired one showed her where they came in to the forest before K asked where they were now. They had no idea._

_"You're here," K pointed out. Miles from where they thought they were. "They're going to be headed back to the south west. So we're going to go north east." The girls didn't argue with her, instead doing their best to quickly adapt to the wild woman's methods._

_They learned fast. Stay low and quiet seemed to be her number one rules. She taught them to survive the wild north woods, how to make camp and fire and shelter. How to steal when necessary. They'd been traveling together for two weeks before they felt they could take a break. They were at least thirty miles into the woods when she made camp with them – a real camp. Good shelter, plenty of fire wood and a fire that actually was big enough to use for something. They were sitting together on the ground watching the flames lick the wood when Zoe, the previously pink haired girl finally asked K the question she'd wanted to know since they'd met her._

_"K," she started out, the woman looking up at her, a neutral expression on her face. "What were you doing in the woods so far away from everyone?" Chloe watched intently with her sister as K took a deep breath._

_"Same thing you were. Running from trouble."_

_"So you had the MRD after you too?" She hesitated a moment before shrugging. Close enough, K thought to herself._

_"You can't stay with me forever. It's too dangerous," K told them. "I'll teach you what I can so you can get a job … find a place to live and whatever you do, don't use your … talents."_

_"What kind of …. um, talents do you have?" Chloe asked innocently._

_"The kind that draws the wrong attention," K replied looking sober._

* * *

She was awakened this time by her children rushing in to see her. She just didn't have the energy to deal with them, as happy as she was to see them safe, sound, and happy. They still smelled like the soap in Asgard. She had to shake her head. If her father could see them – freshly home from _Asgard,_ guests of Odin and Frigga. She smiled serenely as they all but assaulted her.

"Welcome home, guys … did you have a nice time?" K asked them as if they'd simply returned from a few days at camp, barely opening her eyes. The look of concern etched on all of them just made her feel guilty. They didn't stay long before letting themselves out. K's descent back to her dreams came swiftly after. She realized as she was falling into the dream world again that she was depressed, though she was trying hard not to be. She just wondered if there was some thread tying the memories together.

That night she dreamt of her own children.

_Abbey appeared to be about four in her dream, Rose was dancing with her in what seemed to be an almost perfect echo of how she and Linnea used to dance almost a century earlier – flowers in their hair and their tiny blue jeans covering their cowboy boots, James laughing at both of them until they turned to chase him. Baby giggles echoed in her head. She could feel her husbands arms around her waist as the little ones acted as little ones should._

Sisters – or siblings, as it were. That's what she had on her mind.

K opened her eyes in the darkness. She'd been sleeping too much. Enough that now she couldn't sleep as Logan slumbered on peacefully next to her. She watched him for a few moments, his face perfectly relaxed in what appeared to be a dreamless sleep, his lips barely parted, and one hand resting on his chest. She smiled serenely as she watched his chest rise and fall slowly. He wrinkled his brow in his sleep, but the moment passed, and not long after he took a deep easy breath before shifting his position a little, his eyes opened up for a moment, just to seek her out. He smiled a little when he saw her and pulled her close, throwing his leg over hers and planting a kiss on her lips quickly before nuzzling in.

Without saying a word, or attempting to do anything but keep her close, he had done unintentionally what he'd been trying to do since they'd returned from fighting Romulus.

That simple movement. The clutching to her as if she were something precious – it eased her mind more than any telepath had ever been able to do. He was there for her, and wanted her there for himself, even if he didn't say a word.

She needed to wrap herself up in that feeling. That was what she needed to force herself through this – to feel wanted and needed. Which, is exactly why she didn't fight Logan in the least when he insisted on taking her away from their friends and family.

Both knew it was the right move when the dreams simply stopped coming for a while.


	11. K Meets Apex (Again)

**Hey there. Remember back when I said that there wouldn't necessarily be a cohesive story here? **

**Yeah? ****Well, This is why. **

**You could consider this a 'lost chapter' of sorts. Throwback alllll the way to Surprise for a Feral. This is when Greer and Colton meet K for the first time while she's at the mansion. Timing wise, well - you'll see. It fits in there pretty well. BUT admittedly, this was before KJAX and I really started putting our heads together. Maybe at some point I'll add this in to one of the chapters ... or split it between two if it can slip in there properly.**

**As always, Thank you kindly for the great reviews you guys always give (loving that you spoil me with them) - KJAX, Retro &amp; FFR, I'm lookin' at you. **

**SO ... K Meets Apex and Tigra (Some point during Surprise For a Feral - probably around the middle of Chapter 21 over there)**

* * *

As they pull in, a long journey behind them, Greer smiles at the line of students exiting the forest on horseback behind what appears to be a cowgirl, complete with a cowboy hat. She nods towards the woods, her gesture catching Colton's attention.

"Must be the new girl. Jean said the kids are smitten with her. Almost as much as Logan is," Greer says with a smirk. He barely glances toward the woman in question. If she's anything like the girls Logan usually gets wrapped up with, this won't last long, though if she's teaching there, that brings a new set of... complications for their old friend.  
The car comes to a stop in front of the large garage and the couple begin to unload. The sounds of the riding class laughing and joking around echoes up to their ears, and a few moments later, past the smell of the horses, and the many kids filing away from the barn, a hauntingly familiar scent reaches Colton... no, Apex now.

His attention was split as one ear remained locked on the sounds from the barn.

"Go inside," Colton said to Greer, doing all he can to avoid bringing too much attention to his state of hyper awareness. "I'll catch up. I need a little fresh air." Greer, in her rush to see Jean and Logan didn't question his motives, instead wishing him a good time before she all but ran into the mansion. As soon as the door is closed behind her, he starts to stalk toward the barn, avoiding the students cheerfully making their way up to the house.

The woman inside had just put a horse in it's stall and carried a saddle into the tack room while he slipped into the doors.

* * *

As K slipped the saddle onto the rack, she paused. A strong feeling of deja vu washed over her and prickled the back of her neck. She looked to her left, where a mirror was hanging directly across from the door – she saw nothing out of place, but the wind was carrying in a scent that …. it just … where had she smelled that before?

She bit her bottom lip a moment and decided to cautiously slip out of the tack room. She was nearly out of it when Colton grabbed her by the shirt and slammed her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her as he loomed above.

"Why are you here?" he growled out as she all but shot out from under the tall, panther like feral above her. The move was one he hadn't seen her perform before.

"I'm here for Logan," she breathed out after she'd gotten her feet under her, the wording not at all ideal – though she didn't realize it until just then. His snarl got lower, enough to rile every horse in the barn as her hair stood on end. She could have sworn there was a 'no' somewhere hidden in that snarl a split second before he charged her.

Tapping into all that her fiance had taught her, she deftly avoided the worst of his attack, still catching one hand worth as he sliced into her side. Before he made it past her, she made sure to return the favor, popping hers into his side with a growl. As the two parted, assessing each other, his eyes locked for a moment on her claws and his growl deepened.

* * *

Greer and Jean were still embracing and laughing when Logan came up from the lower levels with Scott. On seeing him, Greer finally released Jean in favor of rushing Logan, nearly knocking him over when she gave him a bear hug.

"Nice to see you too, Tigger – where's Colton?" Logan asks with a genuine smile. Its' a look that Greer isn't used to seeing on him.

"Wow. You've been keeping that smile to yourself all these years? That doesn't seem fair to the rest of us," she teased as he grinned earnestly. She liked it much more when he smiled instead of growling when she picked on him.

"Yeah, forgot I had one," he replied, a twinkle to his eye.

"Wait until you meet her, Greer. She lets us pick out her clothes," Jean said with a laugh.

"Ooh. Does she need more? I could use a trip." the two women got to conspiring as the riding class came in, sweaty and smiling as always.

"Hey, Jubes – is K done?" Jean asked, "Greer and I need to size her up for new clothes." Jubilee turned to look at her.

"Yeah, she should be right behind us," Jubes replied waving a hello at Greer as she walked backwards towards the stairs with a grin.

The smile slipped from Logan's face and he crinkled his brow for a moment, as if he was focusing on something on the floor. He was moving toward the door before he'd really thought about it. When he opened it, both Greer and Jean's heads whipped toward him – snarls and growls were echoing up from the barn as Logan broke into a run, his hat falling off his head halfway to the horse barn, the two women in his wake.

* * *

"Colton!" Logan shouted out as he approached, seeing the two of them –both bleeding freely, but K visibly shaken. The barn was her 'safe' place. "What the hell're you doin, boy?"

"She's here to kill you." he growled in response, his eyes never leaving K, who looked totally confused.

"If she was gonna kill me, she's had more than enough opportunity. She's been sharing my bed for months." Logan replied, but Apex was reluctant to listen.

"Then she's here to kill Greer – or me."

"Are you crazy or something? I don't even know you, furball," K snarled back at him, sure that the large feral in front of her was nuts. To Greer and Logan's surprise, Colton actually did a double take, quickly covering his shock and returning to his crouch as Logan pushed past him and stood in front of K, squaring off himself with Apex.

"You're not going to hurt her, kid. Not without going through me first," Logan growls out.

"Colton, she didn't know you guys were coming – why would she want to kill you?" Jean shouted, aghast at the scene unfolding before her.

"She's Weapon X." Colton said, trying hard to get Logan to understand. Greer seemed to pale at the news and subconsciously slipped a hair closer to Colton, hiding behind his bulk.

"Yeah, I know. But how do _you_ know?" Logan growled out.

"You turn your back on them like they'll just leave you alone – I have never stopped hunting them down. I know of everyone that's been through that program. She has _lied_ to you. She's a weapon." Colton persisted. Logan let out a sigh and shook his head as K started to step out next to him. He knows it's not the whole story, but now is not the time to wheedle it out of him.

"Alright, X-22. What should we do about it? Punish her for something she didn't ask for? She's not a Weapon anymore. Neither am I. Neither are you," he growled out, pushing K behind him again. He won't allow her to be in Colton's line of fire. "I won't let you kill her," in a flash, the angry growling Logan that he and Greer are more used to seeing is in front of them – and he's got Colton in his sights. K is shocked as she looked at Logan's ready stance – upright and disciplined in spite of the growls and claws. He's serious. He's not letting this guy touch her.

"Can everyone calm down just a little bit?" Jean said wide eyed. She had no idea things would change that swiftly. Logan still wouldn't let K from behind him, even when she retracted her claws and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Um …. Colton?" K started to say, his eyes locked on her still, and his growl echoing the barn as she reengaged his attention. "There is only one person on this planet that I want dead – and you aren't him." He watched her a moment before dropping his growl, knowing instinctively who she means.

"Creed." he growled out and she nodded in agreement.

"Then we have a common ground outside of hating Weapon X?" K asked. He paused, taking her in, trying to decide. His eyes rested for a moment on the diamond ring on her left hand. She didn't look threatening, but then again – when she did look threatening, it was usually too late. Logan's growl snapped him out of his pondering and he finally nodded curtly.

"You definitely need new clothes," Jean assessed as K finally looked down at what's left of her ensemble.

"Damnit. I actually liked that shirt," K replied as Logan raised an eyebrow at her. She put one arm across her chest as she turned her back to Colton, Greer and Jean, her head turned toward Logan who had already started unbuttoning his flannel.

"Don't need to have the boys gettin' too many impure thoughts about ya. You should hear what they say as it is," Logan teased as she slipped the flannel on, wrapping it tightly around herself with a smirk.

"You don't say," she replied as he put his arm around her back – a protective gesture missed by no one. As the two of them started to walk toward the door, Logan stayed between Colton and K, not taking his eyes off him until they'd passed by.

"Interesting to meet you two," K said as they left the barn.

The three remaining mutants watched as the couple made their way up to the house, arm in arm and to Colton's shock – acting like any other normal couple in the world. Jean started to walk past him, but paused, as if she could feel his eyes on the back of her head.

"Something on your mind, Colton?" she asked. There was little that could have gone worse with that meeting.

"Tell me everything you know about her," he said, seriously, but with enough concern in his eyes that she can't just put him off. She worried her lip a moment before nodding her head as she hugged herself.

"Right now?"

"Yes," he replied. Greer was at Coltons' side, attaching herself to his arm as she looked imploringly at her old friend. Jean threw her hands in the air as she addressed her.

"Greer – this is the same woman I've been telling you about for months. You can't honestly believe we'd let someone this close to Logan if we weren't sure. Charles checked her out himself." Jean replied.

"And _you_ can't honestly believe that Logan would let you stop him if it was someone he wanted," Greer countered. "Please, I need to know if he's in danger." Jean looked put out but nodded, scanning the area quickly for anyone that might be eaves dropping before taking a deep breath and 'debriefing' them both about what they knew of her past, and all that had happened since she'd come to the mansion. By the end of the story, she can see Greer is rather horrified and Colton is processing.

"They make a wonderful couple, Colton. He's got hope. That by itself should be enough – but she really has been good for the kids too. The girls she came in with said she'd been protecting them for months. That doesn't sound much like a Weapon X move to me."

"No, it doesn't." he had to agree.

"And she's not the first one to have been used by them. Unless you're telling me their experiments really are beyond all hope. Because if that's the case, we should probably just kick both of them out right now." Jean said with a small amount of heat to her voice before turning on her heel and marching up to the house.

* * *

They didn't see Logan or his new fiancee for the rest of the evening. Where exactly they'd disappeared to no one was quite sure. Logan's Harley and Jeep were both parked in the garage, and nothing was missing, yet, Greer could find neither hide or hair of either of them and Colton wasn't exactly being overly helpful.

The next day, she'd only been able to spot a glimpse of Logan as he disappeared into the garage, but the roar of his Harley as she got to the door signaled his departure.

"He got called off on Avengers business," Jubilee told her when she saw how disappointed Greer looked. "Is …. there anything I can do for you?" the bright eyed teen smiled back at her.

"Help me find K. I'd like to talk to her," Greer said, trying to sound business like. Jubilee just laughed.

"If she doesn't want to be found, you have like, no chance of finding her."

Greer wrinkled her nose and just took it as a challenge. All day she searched for her with no luck. That woman was just as hard to find as Logan when he wanted privacy. She tried the barn as Jean suggested, but no luck. All the spots she associated with good places to hide came up as blanks.

She flat gave up when K didn't show to dinner with everyone else. Jubilee was right. If she didn't want to be found, it would take someone with far better tracking skills than her. With Logan gone and Colton being uncooperative in her quest to talk to the woman, she had nothing to work with.

Trying to clear her mind, she accidentally stumbled across her quarry on the roof, hours after dinner was over. K was sitting on the edge, her feet dangling off and two empty whiskey bottles next to her – the one in her hand only about two thirds full.

"Those aren't all from tonight are they?" Greer asked as K glanced over her shoulder at her general direction.

"Yeah. Gotta drink fast to negate the healing factor," K replied, then paused for a moment before offering her the bottle, which Greer politely declined.

"I was looking for you today," Greer said as K tipped back the bottle again, taking a few deep pulls from it before setting it down. "Jean and I picked up some new clothes for you."

"Thank you, I appreciate whenever someone saves me from dressing myself." K replied, tipping her head toward her, but keeping her eyes on the roof. "Jean said you two were close. But she didn't tell me where Colton came from. Where did you meet him?" Her eyes flicked up to meet Greer's, freezing Greer to the spot.

Greer was silent for a moment as she shifted uncomfortably. It seemed K had the same talent that Logan did – the uncanny ability to both cut to the heart of the matter and put you on the spot in one fell swoop.

"Actually, we met …."

"We met because of Weapon X," Colton interrupted as he stepped from around the corner, glaring at K in a very calculated, concentrated manner. K just let out a huff of air in a weak impression of a laugh and shook her head with a mirthless smirk.

"Of course you did," K said just before taking a good long pull on the fifth in her hand. "Where else could you have met." As she looked at the bottle in her hand, she could smell his apprehension.

K didn't miss a beat, nor did she give him the courtesy of turning toward him or looking his direction.

"You want a drink, big guy? No? Not enough room in your little Weapon X club for little ol' me? Would you feel better if you pushed me off the roof?" K asked, looking bored before taking yet another slug. "I won't fight ya." He looked at her hard for a moment as she sighed.

"Finally. My lips are numb." she mumbled, her eyes closed as she swayed slightly, leaning her forehead on the rail.

"Does … Logan know you're up here like this?" Greer asked cautiously. K smiled.

"Logan has no business lecturing me on drinking. But for the record, no." K countered. "I don't make an effort to check with him on every little thing I do." No one moved for a few minutes and it didn't take long for K to get tired of the sensation of them looking at her.

"Listen, I get it. I'm screwed up – I don't remember half of what I should. There's no telling what the hell I was into before I came here. You don't have to trust me. I really don't care. Just – don't take it out on Logan. It's not his fault he has poor taste in women." Both of them are silent for a moment until K looks behind her for another bottle. She sighs and reaches for it, but Colton takes it before she can pick it up.

"I think you've had enough tonight," he said quietly as she met his eyes.

Without blinking or changing her expression, she brings what remains of the bottle in her hand to her lips and proceeds to drain it, tossing it with the other empties, the glass clattering.

"_Now _I've had enough," she counters, before pushing herself onto her feet and swaying dangerously. Colton grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the edge a few paces. "Totally unnecessary," she said, slurring her words slightly. He fought the urge to smirk at her.

Aside from the setting, he realizes she is still, and likely will always be a contrary little thing. He quickly let her arm go as soon as she was halfway stable and held his hands up as she glared. For an instant she narrowed her eyes at him then simply walked off.

By the time she got to Logan's room – with both Colton and Greer following several lengths back, she was no longer swaying. She looked over her shoulder as she opened the door.

"Goodnight, kids," K said stepping into his room and closing the door behind her.

When Logan came in a few hours later, he was greeted by half a dozen empty bottles and a pretty damn drunk woman. He frowned a little on seeing her in such an advanced state of inebriation for someone with an advanced healing factor.

"You cleaned out my stash," he said, moving the bottles out of his way with the toe of his boot as she lifted her head to greet him.

"That I did," she replied, before laying her head back down, eyes closed and limbs sprawled out.

"You're drunk," he said with a chuckle.

"It was _not _the easiest thing I've ever done, either. You gonna take advantage of me now? I've never really been drunk enough for anyone to take advantage of me."

"No. Not when you're like this."

"Suit yourself – your loss." There was a soft knock at the door and Logan turned to see Greer looking shy, though that swiftly shifted to let down when she saw the small collection of empty liquor bottles.

"I had no idea she kept drinking when she went in here. I'm sorry," she said.

"What have you got to be sorry for, Tigger?" Logan asked as he moved K further onto the bed before walking over to Greer. "It's not your doin'. Once she got it in her mind to get wasted – it was just going to happen."

"But it was partly our fault," Greer said as Logan met her eyes.

"Unless you held her down and poured it down her throat, it's not. She's got her own worries, one of the biggest bein' my track record with women. Probably don't help everyone's been whisperin' that her days are numbered. She knows Creed's got it out for her and it's just a matter of time before it goes down." She started to shake her head in protest when he held up his hand to stop her.

"Let's just let it go for now. See you guys in the mornin'. After the day I had, I'm ready to curl up to my woman, whiskey soaked as she is." He gave Greer a quick kiss on the cheek and promised to catch up with her in the morning, as long as Colton hadn't insisted they leave by then.

* * *

The next morning, Greer was waiting patiently for Logan to appear. Colton was at her side, albeit in a slightly more tactical position. She looked at the clock and shook her head. A solid half hour late from what she remembered of Logan's usual morning appearance. When he did finally show he had the most handsome little crooked half smile she'd ever seen on him as he made his way to the coffee pot, K in tow. The two of them poured a mug and they headed toward Greer, but that's when K broke away, slipping outside to the little table on the patio.

"Is she mad at me?" Greer asked – sure she'd have a better chance to talk to the woman in the light of day.

"No, she just thought you wanted to talk to me – she don't like to intrude." Greer scrunched her nose and picked up her mug as she stood.

"Well, I want to talk to her too," Greer insisted. Colton gave her a look and she simply looked over her shoulder at him as she headed toward the door "Come along if you're concerned." Colton grudgingly followed, keeping his distance, but staying close enough to watch K as she innocently greeted Greer with a small, tight smile.

"Hi, I'm Greer," Greer said quietly. K wrinkled her brow a moment and nodded minutely.

"I gathered," K said hesitatingly. "Didn't we cover introductions already? What with the snarling and bloodletting?"

"Yes – but that's not the impression I wanted to make." K nodded in concession.

"Alright. Fair enough," K said quietly, offering Greer her hand. "Nice to meet you, really."

As the two women chatted, Colton watched K carefully, getting a little chill as he watched her take a moment and just close her eyes, inhaling deeply over the coffee mug before taking a swig. He wondered if Weapon X had caught that little habit of hers and exploited it. From the way K was acting, probably not, but still … until she could account for where she'd been, and what she'd done, he would remain cautious.


	12. Greer and K's alliance

**Hey guys! thanks for the reviews, FFR &amp; Shinn! In anticipation of the next 'Roots' chapter, KJAX pointed out that a little insight into how K and Greer have bonded might be in order. SO, with help from the fantastic KJAX, WE bring you ... whatever you want to call this. **

**KJAX, you were absolutely instrumental in getting Greer and Colton right in this. It was far enough out of his 'zone' I had n****o idea where I was going with it. **

**I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did. **

* * *

K had just stepped out of the gym. Her gymnastics training was over for the day and she'd seen Logan for a moment on his way out. He'd stopped just long enough to look her over hard and give her a little nip on the neck with a growl before he disappeared, saying he had something he had to do. Though, he did take a second to shout over his shoulder for her to stay in the outfit she was wearing for when he got back. She laughed it off and continued on, noting as she passed through the kitchen that Greer looked particularly irritated when she walked by.

Greer's back was to her, and though she _appeared _generally relaxed, the tip of her tail was twitching in a manner exactly like that of a pissed off cat. K didn't say anything, instead slipping upstairs to shower and change before she did the chores for the night and figured out what she was going to do with an evening to herself.

By the time she'd gotten back from the barn, Greer was nowhere to be seen, though Jean was telling Scott how worried she was about her. How she was so upset.

_You gotta be a psychic to figure that one out? _K thought to herself, earning a sharp look from the redhead.

"You know, K," Jean began, her hand on her hip as she halfway glared at her. "Maybe she could use someone that understands the feral mindset better than me." K chuckled as she dug into the back of the fridge, pulling out the hidden six pack Logan had in the far back.

"Right," K said with a smirk. "And you're under some delusion that I'd fit that bill. You _know_ her. And, _y__ou _poke around in people's heads. I don't know anything about it."

"But you're a feral. You have insight."

"Yeah. On myself. Do you think the same as every telepath out there? GOD, I hope not." K snarked. Jean hated it when she got this way with her, but the point was valid.

"Would it kill you to try?" K looked as if she was considering it hard.

"Might. Ya never know." K replied as she tipped back the first bottle from the six pack. She decided to try a different angle.

"Logan's going to be mad when he sees you drank his beer." Jean tried.

"No he won't."

"How do you know?" Jean asked, unaware of K's drinking binge from the week prior, Jean was under the impression still that no one got away with taking his beer. K just gave her a smile that read out all kinds of dirty innuendos that she was thinking of as she raised one eyebrow and shrugged.

"Just do." K replied, picking up the six pack and heading off to the game room. Most of the students were already on notice to be in their rooms – tests upcoming and security issues looming overhead as they waited for the inevitable to happen.

She was trying to be in a good mood, but the truth was, with all the extra training K was packing into the day and obsessively checking for news on Sabretooth, she was getting frustrated. It didn't take her long to kill that lousy six pack while shooting pool alone. When she hit the bottom of the last bottle, she decided to go commandeer herself another bottle or three of whiskey. She knew Logan had already replenished the stash she'd destroyed, she just wasn't sure where he'd put it.

When she got up to their shared room, she couldn't find it. Not in any of the normal hiding places, or even abnormal ones. With a little growl, she decided to try the garage, and hit jackpot. She grinned as she took the one lone bottle he had stashed behind a box of spare parts inside. When she got back to the game room, Greer was practicing bank shots and grumbling to herself.

"You up for a game, or are you bent on just bein' alone?" K asked, figuring misery loved company and between the two of them … they had the makings of either a pity party or a damn good time.

"Sure," she replied, tail still twitching irritably.

"All outta beer. Had to move on to the good stuff," K informed her as she removed the seal on the bottle, setting it on the rail of the pool table with a little smirk.

"Oh, I'm not much of a drinker," Greer said, shaking her head a little. K froze, her face fell and she just stared back at her. The feeling was similar to the look Jean had given her a few days ago when Greer had declined going to a half off shoe shopping binge. "But … I guess it wouldn't kill me, right?" She hadn't been able to say no to Jean in the end either.

"Atta girl," K replied with a little smile as she handed her the bottle. K watched her expectantly as she hesitantly raised the bottle to her lips, eyes shut tightly while she took a pull. When she lowered it, K grimaced with her as the shiver ran across her body from the flavor and the sensation of the strong liquor burning its way down her throat.

"How do you guys drink this stuff?" Greer asked, face scrunched up as K smiled sympathetically at her.

"It has the desired effect," K replied. "Eventually. And after you get a little buzz on, you really don't taste it as much." Greer looked at the bottle in her hand, a frown on her face.

"God I hope you're right," she replied before quickly handing it back to K. "That stuff's awful." K shrugged.

"You get used to it."

They were only about three drinks in when Jean overheard the laughter coming from the game room and felt compelled to investigate. She was pleasantly surprised to see the two feral women laughing and playing pool.

"You know, it's not exactly fair if she's the only one getting drunk," Jean pointed out.

"Well, unless you know where Logan hid the whiskey, I'm stuck," K replied. Jean just smiled and disappeared, returning with an old inhibitor.

"Oh no. You're not getting that damn thing on me," K growled out. "I've had enough of that shit." Jean just shook her head, her eyes closed as she took a few more steps toward the little woman.

"This is not the same as the one you were wearing when you came in. It's _just _an inhibitor, and the battery life on it is only good for about six hours," Jean explained. K looked a little nervous as she looked between the two redheads and gingerly took the inhibitor from Jean – she could tell she wasn't lying, but she couldn't help but give it a sniff, looking for drugs or explosives.

"It just snaps on," Jean said, taking it back and demonstrating the collar for a moment. "And when you want it off, you just push the button, here." She pressed a little button and the lights flipped off and the collar opened up. "We keep a few around in case of emergencies." K still looked reluctant. "Unless you're afraid Greer will out drink you." K's eyes locked onto Jean's with an intensity she wasn't prepared for.

"Alright, cheerleader, I'll put it on, but you're joining us too," K said clearly. Jean gave her a dirty look and nodded her head in agreement, the collar held out in front of her. K held it gingerly in her hands for a moment before nervously slipping it on, cringing as it snapped shut. Jean took the whiskey bottle from Greer and took a slug before handing it to K.

"You're behind four," Greer said, giggling hard. K nodded and threw it back, counting out in her head about four shots worth.

"Not anymore." K replied, handing the bottle to Jean. "You're behind three."

Within the hour, the three of them were laughing like loons, the pool game long forgotten as the they moved on to other things, namely the drunken girl talk.

"I am so happy we went shopping because my shoes are freakin' gone," Jean laughed, dropping onto the loveseat, sloshing her drink, but not quite spilling it – she had insisted on getting glasses after Greer drunkenly accused her of hogging it.

Greer hopped the back of the chair, almost making a graceful landing next to her friend as K finished pouring out what they had left in the bottle. Just enough for all of them. She staggered around the loveseat, carefully handing Greer her glass before she grabbed the smaller woman's arm and pulled her between the two of them. K looked at both of them and shook her head as she lifted the glass to her lips.

"So, I understand you were living in the woods before Scott picked you up. How do you like life with the X-Men?" Greer asked, trying hard to keep her drunken giggles under control.

"It's like living in the land of the giants," she said as Greer grinned. Jean laughed and almost on cue, Scott came in, eyebrows raised at the three inebriated women in front of him.

"Wow. Jean, are you sure you wanted ..."

"Yes, please," Jean said, cutting him off before turning her head toward her drinking companions. "I asked him to bring more booze. No reason to stop this party now." K started to chuckle and she shook the ice cubes in her empty glass at Scott.

"Get to it, beertender," K said with a grin. "There are worse ways to spend your evening than doing your duty as the most sober in the room and pouring us more firewater." Greer quickly followed suit, and Scott just stared until all three were waiting, glasses out and grinning. "Give 'im the pout, girls." All three immediately diving into it, pulling one shoulder to the ear, leaning forward and making eye contact.

"Hard to argue with that," he agreed with a grin, cracking the seal on the bottle and pouring them out equal measures …. almost.

"C'mon, Scott – don't be stingy. Get with it," K growled out, earning a laugh from him.

Not half an hour later, Colton walked past – freshly showered. On hearing the commotion, he stopped in his tracks. Jean had taken position on Scott's lap and K and Greer had transitioned to laying on the floor, heads together, chatting about the most random sounding crap he'd ever heard. Both of them had lost their shoes, and K was missing her flannel shirt, now down to an overly tight white tank top that didn't leave much to the imagination or reach her bluejeans. Greer had worked her way down to, well, at least as little as K was in. It seemed that the addition of alcohol loosened her up enough to discard some of her insistence of wearing so many clothes.

Instead of interrupting, he just stood there for a moment, totally distracted as Greer broke into a hearty laugh. He didn't know what to make of it, particularly when K turned to greet him.

"Oh hey. It's the big guy. Hey there, big fella," K said with a smile. Greer rolled onto her stomach and grinned just before the two of them stood up and began to stretch.

K led the way to the pool table after Greer prompted her about the game she owed her, following her by a few paces.

He stepped into the room to observe and decipher what these women were up to …. the smell of whiskey was thick in the air as they started laughing again.

"Scotty! Hey! C'mon, beertender – you're slipping in your sovereign duty." K barked out and Scott carefully disengaged himself from a very drunk Jean.

"I think you've had enough, K." Scott said as he approached her. K just shook her head slow as Logan walked in the room.

"Oh shit, not again," he grumbled with a sigh, snatching the whiskey from Scott and barking at him to get Jean to bed. "You're done, sweetheart," Logan growled – trying to make it clear he wasn't in the mood for any games. K all but slammed her glass on the pool table as she slipped around it, locking eyes with Logan.

"Just one more?"

"You can't even walk a straight line, darlin'." K arched an eyebrow and glanced at Greer for a moment before letting go of the table and positively slinking right up to him in a perfectly straight line. She leaned in close, licking her lips as she slid her hand from his chest up to the side of his neck, her eyes clearly glued to his mouth. He was leaning in for a kiss, not paying attention to what she was doing until she snaked the half full bottle from his hand.

"I promised Greer one more game – and one more game means one more drink," K countered, her lips barely brushing his as she spoke low. "Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, Colton – one more game?" Greer said, eyes wide and chin tipped down in a little pout. He looked laser focused on her as she stretched out again.

He and Logan locked eyes for a moment, not sure what exactly had gotten into their women before Logan returned his attention to K, stealing a quick kiss before nodding and taking the bottle back.

"I'll pour," he offered. She just gave him a half smile and kissed him again before turning on the spot and slinking back toward an incredibly Cheshire cat-like Greer.

"I got a better idea …. girls against guys. Grab a cue, love," K countered as she and Greer stood side by side. "We'll even make it interesting and make a wager of it."

"We will?" Greer asked, they hadn't discussed making any bets.

"Oh sure. Why not?" K replied, clearly nonplussed. Logan's eyes freely roamed up and down K's figure as he let out a little growl.

"You're gonna get it, darlin'." he warned, still not sure he wanted to play along.

"Oh, I know." she answered looking dead serious. "Now about that bet. What are the stakes?"

"What do you want?" Colton asked, he and Logan looking intrigued, but cautious. Both well aware of K's creative streak - particularly when it came to bets with Logan.

"Inducer," Greer grinned, "and a candlelit dinner." Their attention fell to K, who was biting her lip as she deliberated.

"Rope and blindfold," she said carefully and slowly, eyes locked on Logan, who, coughed a moment, his eyebrows raised.

"Excuse me?" he asked, clearly not at all what he was expecting.

"You heard me."

"And that's enough for me," Jean said as she got to her feet. "C'mon Scott, we are out of our depth with all these ferals. I can think of a few of our own bets to make."

"What?" Scott blurted out, blushing a hair as he saw the look on his wife's face. "Right ….. I can come up with a few ….. good luck guys. Girls." With that they were gone.

"Alright, now that we're alone, what'll it be, boys?" K asked as she tried to pull her shirt over the belt buckle, revealing more up top including her lack of undergarments for every bit of her stomach she covered - . Logan let out a growl that was bordering on a groan at her decidedly premeditated and entirely not innocent behavior.

"Well?" K asked, eyes locked on Logan's as she was sure Colton would hesitate. He was always so reserved, but the words barely left her mouth before both of them blurted out their prize should they win – Colton actually beating Logan out by a hair.

"Tactical" Colton said, eyes glued to Greer

"Dress" Logan spit out, grinning at K. "And rope." She looked taken back as she looked to Greer, who shrugged.

"Oh …. kay then. I guess we have a game," K said, slightly apprehensive toward the two men who grinned as if they'd already won.

Logan didn't hesitate a moment longer, stalking straight up to the rack and pulling his favorite cue, chalking up before they'd decided on the order, Colton already racking them up.

"Ladies break," Colton said, smiling in a somewhat unsettling manner at the little brunette. When she turned to Logan, he simply offered her his cue with a smirk, which she took. She shook her head a moment and made her way to set up to break. She set the cue slightly to the right and smashed it, sinking a solid, and two others before putting a little too much english on and missing a bank shot. She handed the cue back to Logan as Colton stepped up for his turn.

"Wait," K said, holding her hand up, "The two of us have been drinking all night, and it pains me to say, but I am drunk, and I know the temptingly tantalizing Tigger is too. You two can't just waltz in here sober. You gotta catch up a bit." Logan smirked.

"Third bookshelf, four rows up, behind 'Gone With the Wind'," Logan directed. "Your brand." Colton smirked in return and followed his instructions as K gave him a look. When Colton turned around, he drained half the fifth of Jack Daniels and quietly set it down as he leveled his stare at K.

"Does that catch me up?" he asked. She opened and closed her mouth before just shaking her head and muttering out "Yeah, looks like," as he took a shot, not even looking as if he'd taken the time to line it up, but still, sinking two stripes in opposite corner pockets. She gave Greer a look that was completely ignored as Greer's attention was totally focused on Colton. She was watching him carefully, a smile in place and her tail was leisurely swaying behind her.

"Holy shit." K said, not bothering to hide the impressed look on her face as Logan chuckled at her. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Greer, who clearly was still feeling the effects of the alcohol fully, her motions smooth and sensual.

"Colton learned how to shoot pool from Remy," Greer replied with a sigh as K whipped around to look at Logan.

"You fucker, you set me up," K accused toward Logan as Colton sunk another ball off a bank shot. Logan grinned. As Colton lined up for another shot, K narrowed her eyes at Logan before turning her attention to Greer, leaning in close and whispering so quietly both Logan and Colton were at a loss, though if the expression on Greer's face was any indication …..

K glanced over her shoulder at the two feral men before stepping closer still, Greer leaning into her, the two women nearly embracing as they whispered nearly silently. If Greer could have blushed, clearly she would have been by the time K got done.

"We're not playin' dirty, darlin'," Logan warned.

"Fine, don't," K replied as Greer finally took her turn. She sunk the first one like a pro …. managing a difficult angle, but missing the follow up shot.

Logan was wary as he made his way to the table, sure that K was going to do something underhanded to screw with him. But, she didn't do anything at all, which in itself ended up being enough to make him miss his second shot too.

He did, however screw with K on her turn, leaning in close and growling as he slipped his hands gently onto her hips. She sunk the ball as if he wasn't there. On her next shot though, he started the same, but ended with his hand up her shirt. She wheeled around to face him for making her miss.

"Alright, pal. You just started it," K growled out, winking to Greer behind Colton's back as he leaned over the table. He smirked as he lined up the shot – this was going to be a quick game. He drew the cue back, his mind tracing out exactly how he wanted the shot to go, ignoring the two easily distracted ferals ... and scratched entirely as Greer began to purr while she stood next to him.

"My turn," Greer purred out, Colton staring at her wide eyed as she slid herself between him and the rail, delicately removing the cue from his hands before turning toward the table and arching her back. Logan hung his head, shaking it slowly, his hands on his hips. He should have known K would have more than one way to play dirty.

When Greer's turn was over, she stood next to K, both of them leaning on the back of the couch as they watched Logan chalk up. He was lining up for his shot when she just locked eyes with him and slowly lifted what was left of the bottle Scott brought to her lips and offered him the bottle. He paused and slowly straightened up before stalking over to her, Greer caught his change in mannerism and just watched. He never stalked unless he was fighting – at least that she saw. K loved it. She broke into a grin when she saw his focus on her, and assumed it was his attempt to try and shake her a little, so when he stood far too close and took the bottle from her, she just grinned and watched him as he threw it back, clearly intending to finish it off. As he hit the last in the bottle, K hooked her fingers into the waist of his jeans and leaned forward to kiss his neck, getting a growl.

"Hurry up and beat me so we can go upstairs," K whispered. He rushed it, sinking only one when he got back to the table. When he handed the cue back to K, he leaned in and kissed her ear.

"Hurry up and lose so I can drag you upstairs," he growled out. She chuckled a little.

"I tell you to win, and you tell me to lose?" she asked. He shrugged in response.

"We both can't win." She glared at him.

"You keep your hands to yourself this time, mister," K growled, pointing at him. He grinned back as she gave him a last look – it should have been an easy shot. Simple bank shot. Only one rebound to sink the girls' last ball. She smiled a little to herself and through her haze, carefully lined up the shot. As she took it, her cue jumped left, not enough to miss the cueball, but just enough to blow her shot. She quickly looked at Logan, who was grinning, but had his hands up proclaiming his innocence. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a black tail retreating slowly.

She straightened up quickly – in shock that Colton would cheat in such an obvious way.

"That was bullshit, furball! No one screwed with _your _cue," She laughed in disbelief while Greer fell apart laughing. Colton just chuckled a little as he took his time clearing the table. "Great. You play like a pro but feel the need to fuck with my cue – just don't wake me up with all the purring again. That shit carries across the hall," K half teased while Greer grabbed at the pool table in an attempt to keep upright. Before she could say a word more, Logan scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Good night kids …. gotta take my prize and run." he growled out. K managed to get the hair out of her face just long enough to see Greer bunch her shoulders up and pounce across the pool table with a growl.

Logan got her upstairs in record time, but was quickly frustrated already with her bluejeans when they fell in a tangled mass on the bed. He had finally managed to yank hers off when K lifted her head, distracted by the deep reverberation making it's way across the hall.

"I _thought _he was gonna keep it down," K grumbled. Logan growled and pulled her closer to him by the ankles before starting his assault freshly, causing a disturbance of their own.

...

The next morning, none of them were up early. Logan escorted K down, giving her a sweet, tender kiss before heading off to teach, leaving the two feral women alone. Greer, on seeing K, pulled a coffee cup for her and had to smile when a very thankful K just dove into it. The two women were quiet for a while, neither entirely looking forward to paying up on the bet they'd lost.

"Tactical?" K finally asked as Greer ran a hand through her tousled mane, inhaling deeply and rolling her shoulder up to her ear.

"Don't ask," she replied at last. "I have dresses and bodysuits and ensembles that would turn any man's head, but does that do it for him? No. No, I end up with the guy that wants to see me in vibranium laced tactical gear. Stupid stuff chafes worse than a corset," Greer grumbled into her coffee cup. "You got off easy. A dress?" She shook her head, wishing Colton would take a page from Logan's book in that regard.

"Yeah. I'd take the tactical gear, frankly." K replied. "But it's only one day, and probably less than that for me. Logan has yet to let a dress survive a whole day. Vibranium isn't going to be easily shredded." Greer nearly laughed, shaking her head.

"What's this about the ropes? I didn't have him pegged for that type." Greer blurted out, and to her surprise, K actually blushed a hair.

"Yeah, well I'll leave that for interpretation."


	13. Mama Ferals

_A/N - SO. Not a lost memory per se. More like a lost story. Today, our tale of woe is from Natural Feral Behaviors right around the chapters titled 'Betrayal' and 'Clean Up', wherein K has just been liberated from a month of torture and abuse from the always congenial Mr. Creed. These are some of the interactions that happened that I didn't include in the original story (mostly because we like ... recently decided that this is how it happened. so ... yeah. OR you can choose to ignore this chain of events and substitute your own, but why would you?) Of course, there is more expansion on this section of misery if you look at Chloe and Zoe where their account of this bit starts in the chapter titled 'Short One Feral'. _

_For KJAX and Cheshirecat ... let's get this going right meow. m'kay? Ooh, look! Kittens! (and of course, thanks to KJAX for the big assists with Greer and Colton)_

_For everyone else ... Retro, KJAX, FanFicReader25, and ShinnParker ... thank you for the reviews ... your questions and then I'll get down to it. _

_FFR - this should cover female bonding a bit better I think, though I see nothing un-bonding-ly about teasing the guys and getting drunk. ;) _

* * *

Jean stormed into Charles' office, her fury surprising Greer as she slammed the door behind her and stomped up to Charles' desk.

"I cannot _believe_ the absolute bullshit going on in that lab right now," Jean growled out.

"Jean, what happened … I thought you found her," Greer said quietly. The last month had been a living hell for everyone attached to Logan or K at the mansion. Even Abbey didn't want to play with Will anymore as she and her father pined for the missing woman.

"We did. We brought her back, but _that man_ ….. AUGH." she was pacing, fire flashing in her eyes. Greer and Charles shared a look as Jean walked the floor, stopping from time to time as if to say something but shaking her head and going back to her pacing.

"Jean … this is the part where you talk to us," Greer said slowly. It was highly unlike her redheaded best friend to get this … unsettled.

"I know …. it's just. She's not herself. Like at all. And Logan was angry with her, and she's pregnant, and she just tried to kill herself and she's not healing ..."

"WOAH. Wait, there is so much that needs explaining there – Jean, what the hell is going on down there?" Jean sighed heavily taking a seat and explaining to both of them what had happened from the time the jet landed at the facility to just moments before. Both looked horrified, Greer's hand covered her mouth as she stared back at Jean.

"Is she alright?" Greer whispered.

"No, of course she's not alright. Who would be," Jean sighed, her head in her hands. "She's going into a very dark place. She's not herself at all." She paused a moment as she looked up at Charles. "Hank beat the hell out of Logan. I forgot to tell you that part. When I left, he had Logan restrained down there too. Sedated." The only sound in the office for the longest stretch of time was the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner.

Charles was the one to break the silence. "The father -"

"Henry is running a preliminary test right now to see how far along she is. We should know pretty fast who ... but not yet."

"Wait -"

"This wasn't weapon X. It was just Creed. Well, him and a handful of sick assholes he was threatening or paying off. Most likely threatening. You wouldn't _believe_ all that he's done to her. _Or_ the lengths he had to go to do it. It's unreal." Jean's face was a shade of green that did her no justice at all as she sifted through the images she'd gotten from both K and Creed. Greer looked around the room, blinking rapidly. To her, the prospect of even ... sex with _him_ let alone to carry his child ... but it made sense. If he couldn't kill her, the next best thing would be to ruin her, or just take her away. Make her leave Logan.

"Can I see her? I mean..."

"Hank has her restrained. She's not going anywhere, but I'm telling you – she's not herself. I've never seen anything like this." Greer couldn't hear any more. It was just too hard to believe. Greer let the dust settle before she deftly tiptoed down to the lab, peeking in the windows and not believing her eyes. Hank had a whole caddy full of blood vials. Everything about K's body language was off. Aside from the fact that Hank had her tied down incredibly tightly, she just looked like she'd given up. Her head was bowed, her eyes never left the floor and she refused to look in Logan's direction as tears streamed down her cheeks, in spite of him trying to gently draw her attention to him. It sure looked like Creed did a hell of a job on her.

"You shouldn't be down here," Colton said in a low rumble, startling Greer into noticing him.

"Jesus, Colton. You nearly scared the stripes off me! Don't sneak up on me like that."

"You shouldn't be down here. It's not safe."

"Look at her, Colton. She's ... she's just so ..." she never did finish her thought as the two of them watched her, Hanks' medications taking a greater effect than they knew it should have. The two of them watched as Hank returned, and put some very high tech looking bracelets on her before gently leading her into the adjacent room. More tests no doubt.

"We really shouldn't be here right now," Colton advised.

Hours later, they'd heard from Jean that K was back in Logan's care, though she remained out of sight. She frankly didn't care about her classes. Logan, Laura and Jubilee had taken over all of them for her when Scott insisted they keep the riding classes, sure that K would come around. She never came up to the mansion anymore, and she wasn't really accepting visitors. If this wasn't a raging case of isolation, Greer would eat her hat.

Against Colton's advice, she slipped out to try and speak with K. Logan had told her to give it a shot ... just tread lightly in regards to the baby. "In fact, if she doesn't bring it up ... don't," he'd warned her.

She knocked gently on the door, knowing that K could hear it, Abbey's squeals indicating that she at least was looking forward to a visitor. Will wiggled Greer's her arms in anticipation as she looked up at the top edge of the door. It took a minute but finally K answered, simply opening the door wide for Greer and Will to slip inside. The furry little fluffball leapt from his mother's arms and made a dash for Abbey, the two of them giggling as he pounced at her. Greer was smiling as she stepped inside.

Logan wasn't kidding. K was not herself. Her arms were wrapped around her middle, her shoulders were hunched over and she looked on the verge of tears ... and that seemed to have been an improvement.

"You want some coffee?" Greer asked as the two of them took a seat at the table. She was stunned when K shook her head 'no'. "Oh, come on. I know you could use some." She didn't wait for an answer, instead just diving in, brewing up a fresh pot. She'd never seen her turn down coffee. Not once. As soon as the pot was done, she brought a mug over for both of them, even having gone so far as to fix K's up the way she liked it. But she didn't touch it.

She tried teasing, but nothing. K just took it. No retort, no return fire. Nothing.

"Hey, I'm trying to tease you, that's all," Greer said as K looked ready to just curl up on the floor. "Can't you at least insult me? Let me know you're in there?"

"I'm fine. Really," K mumbled as Abbey rushed over and climbed up on her mother, Will in her wake and in K's arms alongside Abbey. The two little ones both snuggled into her and for just the tiniest instant, K _almost_ smiled. It didn't last long though. After a moment, they clambered back down and did the same to Greer before sailing back to the living room, the toys ... and the fun. K simply watched them for a moment, looking worn and tired when Greer got an idea. Instead of asking, or trying to engage K, she simply got up and started whipping together a bite to eat for the kids, knowing that as soon as they were fed, they'd be ready for a nap.

To Greer's shock, K refused to eat, citing an upset stomach before starting to clean up after the little ones. When Abbey yawned, Greer picked her up, snuggling into the giggling little girl. Will took one look at Abbey falling asleep on his mother and headed over to K, purring and begging to be picked up. K put her arms out, always amused at the little fella when he crouched down, his tail almost straight out before he leapt at her. She actually smiled as he rubbed his face on her jawline, purring and rolling in her arms. The two of them just held the little ones for a moment until they were sure they were out soundly, finally laying them both down on K's bed, both mothers listening intently for either to wake up.

"Are you alright? I mean, really." Greer finally asked. She expected K to sugar coat it – try to smooth it over, until she saw the look on the woman's face.

"No. I don't think I am," K said quietly.

"You will be." There was silence as K looked down, Greer realized where the conversation was headed.

"What if Hank's wrong?" K nearly whispered, finally meeting Greer's eyes. She wasn't prepared for how terrified K looked at the prospect.

"Stop that. He's not wrong."

"But what if he is? He's not really good with that damn machine. He was off on Abbey's age by nearly a month."

"Nearly a month the other way. By that measure, you could be three months in rather than two." Her brow wrinkled and for the first time that Greer could remember since news broke among the staff, her hands flitted to the little bump resting snugly between her hipbones. "That _would explain_ why you're showing already." K looked as if she was considering it.

"Maybe," she said quietly. "Or the little monster is just going to be fucking huge. Proof of a giant asshole for a father."

"That is no way to talk about Logan." Greer shot back, eyebrow raised. K opened her mouth and shut it quickly. Uncharacteristically, she simply wasn't going to argue. It was almost a painful moment to Greer, seeing her just give up like that.

"This isn't you K."

"Yea...it kinda is."

"No it's not. And I don't care what might be going on with you ... _you fight_. You always fight. Even when it makes me want to strangle you for it...you fight."

"I just can't anymore. I don't have it in me."

"That's bullshit." K actually jerked back a little as the usually proper tigress called her out with her own favorite phrase. K met her eyes, as tears threatened to spill from the tigress. "You think this is just about you giving up? You don't get to quit. Not on Logan...and definitely not on Abbey. And guess what, even if it _was_ just you...I _still_ wouldn't let you quit. Pull it together." It almost looked like K was thinking it all through in slow motion. Like it took some time for her to process it as she finally nodded slowly.

"Alright," K whispered out. A very soft agreement, but she was agreeing all the same.

And that was a start.

* * *

Outside the door, Colton simply froze. He'd heard enough. When he got to the cells where Creed was being held, he stopped cold. He knew Logan was in a class ... or he thought that he was. Snarls were echoing from the isolation cell that was exclusively used to hold Creed. Rather than interrupt what sounded like a sound thrashing, he stepped over to Henry's desk to look at the surveillance and was positively floored by what he saw.

Henry had all but torn Creed's limbs from his body. The much larger, usually more aggressive feral was beaten to a bloody pulp and Henry was snarling over him ... daring him to move. Colton couldn't help but note the medical precision that Hank had used to break Creed down.

The moment Victor tried to move a muscle, Henry would sever the connections allowing that muscle to move, then beat on him until he quit trying. This continued until finally, the unthinkable happened. Creed asked him to stop.

And it only infuriated Henry more.

"_Did you stop when she begged you?" _he snarled unleashing a fresh round of fury on him, dropping all his medical knowledge and just following his gut. Clearly, the worst thing he could have done was ask for mercy from the good doctor.

Ten minutes later, an alarm at his desk sounded ... the passive monitors in the cells notifying Hank that the occupant of the cell no longer had a heart beat. It was just what he needed to snap himself out of it. Instead of checking on the now perfectly still Creed, he simply stepped out of the cell and reset the lock, rushing out to turn off the alarm.

"Get in touch with your feral side, doctor?" Hank just adjusted his glasses as he walked past Colton who was standing by the door on his way to the sink after punching in the kill code. The moans that began emanating from Creed's cell were something both of them enjoyed listening to, considering who it was.

"I have spent _decades_ dealing with the pain and devastation that..._animal_ has caused others. _Decades._ And I remember each and everyone one of the unfortunate souls I've tried to help that were his victims. What he did to that little woman... what he likes to do to women... I just wanted Mr. Creed to _experience_ just how much pain he has caused...first-hand." Hank used a towel to dry his hands. "Unfortunately, all I could really do was give him a sound thrashing."

"Remind me not to piss you off Doctor McCoy."

"See that you don't." Hank gave Colton a little smirk as he sat back down at his desk. "Now," Henry said wearily, his fingers tented in front of him. "If you don't mind. I think it would be prudent for me to take a little break. Try to regain my perspective."

* * *

Colton made his way to Kitty's hideaway where the supercomputers were set up and always monitoring. When he opened the door, Logan was sitting on her desk, grimly going through a file that Colton had tucked away.

"You've been busy," Logan said, glancing up as he flipped through the pages.

"No..._you've_ been busy." Colton replied. It wasn't a dig. There was a tone of sympathy in the mans' voice. Logan looked as if he was barely restraining his rage, his breathing rough as he continued to read.

"I can't go." The statement in and of itself spoke volumes. There was a time that Logan wouldn't have thought twice about exacting his revenge immediately. But it was always clear that anything to do with K was just ... different. He knew she needed him, and so did everyone else. "I want to. Oh, man, do I ever want to," Logan growled out low.

"I know." There's a moment of silence between them as Logan watched Colton's tail twitch. He looked at the folder in his hand again, and his hands curled into fists, bruises appearing where his claws always erupted from his hands.

"Do it," Logan growled out. The venom in his voice was palpable, and the little man was nearly shaking in restrained fury. He'd never seen Logan that angry before. Colton nodded and headed for the door as Logan went back to looking through the pages, but Colton stopped just before leaving.

"Is there anyone you want me to bring back?"

"Not on this list," Logan growled out. "But you're missin' Creed's little gal pal. Jeannie said she wanted a word with her. Little blonde telepath. Goes by - "

"Birdy." Colton closed his hand into a fist as he growled the name. Logan nodded in acknowledgement.

* * *

When Logan got down to the boathouse, K was again alone with Abbey. The little girl had climbed up on her mother and snuggled in, falling asleep with her head on K's chest and her hand resting on K's lips. K was clutching to the little girl, tear trails still visibly wet on her cheeks.

He stepped around the couch and very carefully removed K's arms from Abbey and picked the little girl up, carrying her to her bed before returning to do the same for his wife. When he first started to pick her up, K's eyes popped open as he'd somehow startled her, her heart racing.

"S'alright, darlin'. I gotcha," he said low giving her a moment to 'check his I.D.' with an almost imperceptible sniff before she hesitatingly tried to force herself to relax in his arms. He tried not to clench his jaw ... but the fact that she couldn't relax yet around him made him rethink allowing Colton to go alone. But as he laid her down on their bed, "Please don't go," K requested, her voice shaking. That was his confirmation he was doing the right thing. She was a mess.

"Wasn't plannin' on it, darlin'." he rumbled out softly. Her heart was still racing.

* * *

Greer continued to visit with K as often as she was able, always bringing Will along. As much as Abbey enjoyed Will's company, Will really liked K too. It was on one of these visits maybe a week after Colton left when Jean asked if Greer could keep an eye on K. She had made a brief return to teaching her classes, only to have a breakdown and need to be relived of her duties. The news she'd received from Henry on the paternity of the child she carried had lightened K's mood considerably, but she was still having very dark thoughts and entertaining highly creative ideas of self destruction, if not from her lingering doubts, then from her self blame, though most on staff had a hard time believing she could twist the situation around in that manner.

When Greer and Will arrived at the boat house, it was clear that K was having a hard day. The bump she was sporting was clearly evident no matter what she wore now, and it seemed to irritate the woman. Abbey was fussy and Will ... well, he really wanted to snuggle with K.

As soon as he got through the door, he went right for K, nuzzling and snuggling and pawing at her shoulder, purring softly.

"Stop it," K grumbled. "I mean it. Stop. Go play with Abbey." Greer had to hide the laugh as Will simply didn't buy a clue, pouring it on heavier the more K tried to get him to stop. This was clearly one of those 'don't anybody touch me' days for K.

"Greer! *sigh* Your ... _stop that, you_ .. can you please come here - _no, I don't want to snuggle you_. "Get your kitten!" She was frustrated, but no longer to the point of tears as she would have been just a few weeks ago.

"What's the problem here?" Greer asked as K tried and failed to remove the little purring ball of fur that had wrapped himself around her neck. "It just looks like he wants to snuggle his favorite Aunt."  
"Come on, I can't do this. I just - please, get your baby. I can't take this right now."

"Oh I don't know if you really want me to do that. He can get his claws in pretty deep. No, we can trade for the day. I'll just come by in a little bit." She turned to the little cranky girl near K's feet. "Come on Abbey, let's go let Aunt Jeannie braid your hair." K stared after her open mouthed, as Greer carried Abbey across the house.

"No ... that's not what I ... Greer?" K called out as the front door closed, leaving her alone with a highly affectionate cub.  
After a few minutes, and the most adorable stalking and pouncing K had ever seen, the little scamp began bunting his head on her forehead, purring and nuzzling until the only thing she could do was pet him and scratch behind his ear. He smiled and rolled in her arms, clearly enjoying every bit of it as K slowly softened her stance.

Soon, he again wrapped his arms around her neck and yawned widely before snuggling in as only small children can. She looked at the sleeping child in her arms and gently stood up, making her way to the crib to lay him down, but every time she tried to, he would sink his claws into her shoulder and burrow tighter to the crook of her neck, only purring when she stroked his fur and cuddled him back.

She sighed to herself. He wanted to be held, but she was just too dizzy to keep upright. Instead, with no other viable options, she slipped her shoes off and climbed into her bed, little Will happily nuzzling into her pillow, his claws still holding tightly to her. '_Fine_,' she thought to herself, curling around him as his purring increased in volume.

"Quiet down, you," she growled out, and to her relief, though the purring didn't stop, it did decrease in volume. She watched him sleep for a few minutes before her eyes became very heavy and she found herself falling asleep too.  
When Greer came back not long after to check on them, she smiled to herself as Abbey climbed in the bed, wrapping herself around the sleeping Will, who began to purr again.

_That's more like it,_ Greer thought smugly, pulling a throw blanket out and covering the three of them as they slept on, smiling at how Will was so happily curled up under K's chin. She decided to stay for a while. She knew Logan was out on a mission and Colton wasn't due back for at least a few hours as he covered Logan's classes. She headed to the kitchen ... she could always count on Logan to have something worth while to snack on, and Jean had told her that tonight's menu consisted of Caesar salad and baked chicken ... the idea of it made her stomach turn. She sighed lightly. There was a time that menu would have been heavenly.

She was much more in the mood for some super rare venison. With a little poking around she grinned. Jackpot. She sliced the steaks off and covered them, leaving them out to take the chill off while she waited for the sleeping ferals to awaken. Half an hour later, K finally woke up, only slightly confused when she realized that Abbey was snuggled to Will.

Rubbing her eyes she made her way out to the living room to find Greer watching a movie and nibbling on popcorn.

"Looks like you and Will had a nice afternoon," Greer said with a grin as K carefully slipped into the chair Logan usually claimed.

"Yeah, hard to say no when he's that damn sweet," K admitted, still not up to teasing, but making progress.

"Well, I hope you can handle two of them," Greer said, expecting a big reaction.

"Who told you?" K asked, ready to skin a Wolverine. So far, very few people knew that K was carrying twins. Greer looked at her strangely.

"What do you mean, 'who told me', who told you?" Greer asked a little more heated. K stopped and pinched the bridge of her nose hard for a moment.

"Wait a minute. What the hell are you talking about?" K asked, peeking at Greer with one eye opened.

"What the hell are _you_ talking about?" Greer countered, her eyes wide. K scrunched her eyebrows together and slowly stood up to sit down next to Greer, who simply watched her make the move. K looked Greer up and down and with no warning leaned in and took a deep whiff. She had never expected to have kept this from K that long anyways. The fact she didn't already know was just a testament to how off she was on her game.

"Oh," K whispered, looking Greer up and down. "Congratulations, Tigger!" K gave her a slightly more enthusiastic smile than what her disposition could pull off, hoping that Greer would gloss over her side of the misunderstanding. Her over acting was another tip off to how off she was.

"Yeah, thanks ..." Greer said, replaying the last few moments of their conversation over in her head, "Wait a second... what were you talking about, K? I already knew you were pregnant ..." she looked at her harder for a moment, realization hitting her quickly. "Are you ... is this ..." K put her hands up between them, suddenly trying to put space between her and the tigress as she pointed to K's bump, her grin and enthusiasm growing.

"Greer ... wait. Calm down," but it was too late, Greer burst into laughter as she all but pounced on her.

"And Henry was right, right? He was right. Come on ... you can say it." Greer's tail was on overdrive, twitching and waving behind her with a mind of its own.

"Yes, he was right. Thank God," K replied with the first real smile Greer had seen on her since she'd been rescued from captivity.

"I knew it!"

"I said calm down."

"Why do I have to calm down? This is fantastic news!"

"Oh, are we _both_ announcing everything to the world now?" That caught Greer with her mouth open before letting out a long breath.

"You're no fun..." Greer said with a little huff. "Why wouldn't you want to tell?"

"I don't know ... I just ... I guess I need to get used to it first," she was blushing as she said it.

"Yea...I think I can go along with that." She noticed Greer's hand drift over her stomach before looking excitedly back at K.

"Oh...We can do our showers together!"

"I know I'm not exactly myself but I haven't completely lost my mind. There is no damn way that's going to happen."

"Oh come on...it'll be fun!"

"Tell you what, Tigger ... you go to both, I'll stay here. But no more talk about that right now ... just hold on! The girls are here to try and get me fat. Jubilee told them about the babies." For the first time in weeks, K was grateful to hear Zoe and Chloe's knock on the door. Greer just stared at K while the girls were around...although she absently wondered what a woman needed to do around here to get muffins like that every day.

* * *

Greer put all of her training to use, and with very little effort figured out exactly Chloe and Zoe's schedule on when they brought K baked goodies ... and days that they brought her fruit. She was glad that K was more than happy to share her gifts from the girls. She did think that K's cravings were rather odd.

While Greer found herself ravenous, K was, for lack of a better term finicky. All of the girls baked offerings were delectable. Every damn thing they brought in. She'd be objecting if it weren't for the fact that K was more than willing to share outside of her immediate family. Not just with Greer and Will, but Colton too when he'd spend a few minutes there, though that was becoming problematic.

The two men seemed to want to hang around unnecessarily, their instincts urging them to protect their mates. The girls wanted their alone time though. K was not up to her direct methods yet, and instead chose another route as she and Greer tried to get them to leave.

Greer's method of talking in detail about fashion had K wanting to leave too, but it did work. Fifteen minutes in and both men had heard enough.

"That took way too long," K grumbled, sporting a bit of a headache herself from all the designer talk.

"I'd like to see you do better." K nodded in agreement, an idea already brewing.

A few days later they were met with the same predicament. Until K started talking about the fine intricacies of what their growing bodies were up to, the discomforts that they both were dealing with .. defining the details of the scents that made her stomach turn in such detail that even Chloe and Zoe, who had no heightened senses at all were getting ill at he the descriptions. They left after that, missing out on K shifting the conversation to what they had left to look forward to, again gettting into sickeningly accurate detail on the birth process, comparing it to pains and tortures seamlessly that both Logan and Colton could relate to.

"That's it. I'll see you later," he grumbled, giving her a quick kiss and standing abruptly. He made his way toward the door, his hands up in surrender. "If you wanted me to go, you just had to ask, sweetheart. See ya after classes." Greer looked up at the clock and shook her head after the men left.

"You beat me by five minutes...damn..."

"Told you it'd work. Now...do you prefer the danish or the muffin?" Greer went for the muffin as she looked at K with an innocent look, her head bowed slightly.

"And...some sausage?"

"You're impossible." K rolled her eyes as she heaved herself out of her chair.

"Oh don't pretend you're not eating them right along with me." Greer teased after her, moving to the bar stool.

"I'm not. Too much seasoning. My nose is working overtime and it's driving me crazy. But I won't turn down some ham."

"mmmm...ham. wait, not processed?" Greer couldn't stand the packaged stuff anymore. It tasted like rubber.

"Have you met my husband? Please. Old fashioned all the way."

"Thank goodness for old fashioned." Greer leaned on her elbows, tail slowly sweeping the floor beneath her, and let out a light purr as K got to work. She paused just for a moment after their breakfast was sizzling.

"Maybe next time we kick them out _after_ Logan makes breakfast."

"He cooks too? Well didn't you win the feral husband lottery...tell me, does he teach classes?"

"Not for anything Colton needs help with, sadly."

"Well at least they can do some things right," Greer mused.

"We are living proof of that, my friend," K muttered. It took Greer a split second to process that K had made a joke. She simply put her head down on the table, her hand over her belly laughing harder than she had in weeks. "Some ..." Greer choked out between giggles. "Some better than others." She was looking pointedly at K's bump.

"Well, he is very thorough, and he does have that saying he tends to bandy about from time to time."

"I'm sorry, what saying is that," Greer laughed, failing to keep her hard fought composure as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Are you really going to make me say it?" K asked, disbelief on her face.

"Say what?!" The tigress looked like a kid that knew the punchline to the best joke on the planet as K brought their breakfast over, handing her a plate, clearly making up for lost time.

"Just eat your damn breakfast, pervert." K growled out. But K had lost Greer's attention after the first couple bites in. The conversation was lost as the two feral women ate to their hearts' content ... or as close to it as K could manage.

* * *

_********_**_ Next time : This chapter continues with miserable mother ferals ****_**


	14. Mama Ferals Part 2

_A/N - Shinn, so glad you liked that last one ... Now, I'm going to wrap up this section of feral fun and get back to work on Feral Roots. Please enjoy. And thank KJAX and Cheshirecat for the kittens arc of things. I'm sure there will be more tiny feral fun to come when KJAX gets Greer's side of things ready to be posted. I promise, it's excellent. _

* * *

Greer had managed to get K up to the mansion for a moment _outside_ of the doctors' appointments with Henry and Celia. When Jean came across the two gravid ferals, she simply had to join them. Both had carefully avoided talk of babies or children as they picked at the wide variety of snacks and goodies that Chloe and Zoe had laid out for them. Greer was hitting her favorite ice cream with a grin while K was picking through a rather large bowl of raspberries with a dejected look on her face.

"Look at you two... you're adorable," Jean said, pulling up a stool next to Greer with a look of longing on her face. Greer just smiled. She wasn't as graceful as she usually was, but she felt as if she pulled it off pretty darn well, considering she had moved to wearing whatever felt comfortable and that morning it meant sweatpants and Colton's shirt.

"I wish I was right in this with you... it would be so nice to have a little one with you two." K smirked as Greer let out a snort between bites.

"No you don't." Jean looked insulted because honestly, she did.

"Yes I do!" Jean protested. K turned her attention toward her slowly and Greer began to smirk. She'd finally found the point where K would shift from serious to picking. It was a lot easier to see when she wasn't entirely on her game yet, but even so, it was still subtle enough that Jean couldn't catch it.

"Really, now?" K challenged. Jean nodded, looking at her as if she'd lost her mind. "Well, you're about seven months too late to hop into this with me, but what the hey – go ahead," K offered, tapping her temple. "Hop in. See what you think. You have two of us to choose from." Jean started to smile a little as Greer nodded. Wasn't a bad idea, honestly.

"Are you serious?" K nodded, but Jean was cautious. There had to be a hook.

"Be my guest. I know you can do that if you really want to...so go on." Jean was watching her skeptically, but she couldn't find any reason to question her... K's thoughts betrayed nothing but an innocent offer to her telepath friend.

"I'm not so sure your mind is the safest place to be right now," Jean said slowly, knowing it wasn't like K to offer access to her mind but she also found the offer incredibly tempting.

"Probably not, but you know you really want to know exactly what it would feel like to carry a feral baby... we just aren't going to touch on why you'd considered my twisted head over your lovely best friend over here." Jean turned bright red and her eyes widened as K's smirk stretched into a grin and Greer began to giggle. Jean had very nearly fallen for it.

"You, Mrs. Howlett, are sick." It had been a running joke for K practically from the get go. She knew Jean had always been in love with Scott, but... it was no secret that Jean had held a certain fascination for Logan and he had been very open in admitting to his wife that he carried a torch for the red head for the longest time.

As awkward as their situation could have been – Logan's old crush living just doors down the hall – K found the humor and didn't shy away from it. After all, he'd chosen K and although she had fleeting moments of doubt, he'd never looked back once he'd decided he wanted K.

"This wouldn't be nearly as funny if the roles were reversed," Jean snapped.

"Are you kidding? Scott's not my type at all."

"THAT is not what I meant."

"Well, _you're_ clearly not my type," K said looking her up and down critically. "Though, I suppose if I had to pick a girl, I could do a lot worse."

"What did you mean, Jean?" Greer asked with a little giggle... her line of thought had shot past both ferals.

"I mean, it wouldn't be so funny if K had someone around that she once had a crush on," Jean replied. Greer thought it was a fair point. "You're picking on both your husband and I. It's not fair."

"Well, to be fair, I don't get crushes... at least, not ones that go unresolved, and all the men I used to date... or _whatever_ are probably dead by now... but you know... if you insist on digging for someone... good luck. I can think of better ways to spend my free time."

"Well, seeing as you won't let me throw a party for the twins... maybe I will start digging up your past men. I'll bet at least one is still alive. I can't imagine _you_ not getting laid in the past decade."

"Ah, Well there is often a vast difference between people one would sleep with for entertainment factor, and people one might have had actual feelings for. I don't think you know the difference Mrs. Summers … which is a shame, since you missed out on a whole world of …. entertainment, but you don't always have to be head over heels with the man in your bed," K said critically, the humor once again waning fast. "Besides, I'm sure if you _could_ find one of my flings... there would be no chance of any crush-like feelings on my end whatsoever. They probably would think I'm just a bitch anyhow."

"But what if I find one of the serious ones..."

"I told you, they're all dead."

"No, you said probably. That means they might still be alive," Greer pointed out.

"Well, whatever. Have fun looking. You must like chasing ghosts," K said before pushing the bowl of berries away from herself. She didn't have any spare energy to deal with the babies that were draining her reserves into the negatives, let alone anything to even begin to give a damn about old flames and she didn't care who knew it. She was tired and her daily routine was quickly becoming quite boring. Wake up, eat, play with Abbey, sleep. Repeat, with no relief on the horizon. She had yet to realize exactly how run down she was.

* * *

A few days later, Greer again found her in the mansion, though this time it was after a visit to the good doctor.

"So," Greer started "I hear the girls have been given the green light to try and put weight on your skinny ass." she was only slightly amused by K's predicament. Her belly was much larger than Greer's, as was expected with twins, but Greer had gained a bit in all the normal places as was to be expected, her curves more pronounced and even though she was growing more uncomfortable, she looked like a healthy woman. K did not and Henry had taken notice … in fact, he'd taken a special interest in her welfare and had informed the staff to make sure the little woman was doing as he'd told her to. Not that most of them needed prompting.

"How are you holding up?" Greer asked, slightly concerned by K's frail appearance. It was a common enough question, but K usually didn't answer it honestly for anyone but Logan. For some reason though, she suddenly had no trouble telling Greer exactly how she was doing.

"I can't breathe. Or walk. Or sleep. And even though Henry wants me to eat more, I can't keep down much even though I am starving. All. The. Time." K finally admitted. "There isn't room in my body for me anymore. And I almost broke Jean's wrist when she visited this morning. She wanted to try and feel the babies kicking – which they were. Each other I think, but it hurts to even be touched. But enough of my pissing and moaning. How are _you_ hanging in there?"

"Oh...um hmm..." Greer suddenly regretted broaching this topic. Sure she had blown up like a balloon, gaining weight she felt by the _hour_ instead of the day. But after going through all of it with Will, at least this time she knew what to expect. And that included claiming an entire section of the fridge and pantry for herself. But after hearing how K was doing...

"Outside of threatening to put deer on the state endangered species watch list, I'm doing alright. I just wish she would stop moving so much," Greer looked up quickly from her stomach to see the smile spreading across K's face.

"I'd squeal and jump for joy, but I'd likely break something. You'll have to settle for my enthusiastic _glee_ as I sit back and watch Jean and 'Ro fight over who gets to throw the shower."

"Yea...the shower. About that... I don't think I'm going to have one." Greer suddenly looked anxious as she huddled over her coffee.

"Oh, honey. I've been a bad influence on you. _Clearly_ we've spent too much time together. Come on, really ... who's the lead partier?"

"I'm not kidding. I don't think I'm going to have a shower." K just stared at her open mouthed for a moment. "All those..._ people _around me ... the closed space ..."

"No," K said almost forlorn. "No, Greer ... you _have to._ _This is your thing! _You love all this socializing bullshit. Come on ... your little girl! We both know you want all that pink frou-frou nonsense. Think of all the little ... girly ... frilly ... _crap_ they'll do. Besides, I can't get away with skipping out on one for the twins if you don't let them do one for your little girl. I'll never hear the end of it …. how I corrupted you into being anti-party. And we are well past the point of me allowing anyone but Logan to touch me. He's even on notice."

But Greer just slowly shook her head no, "I'm just not up to being the center of attention right now." The prospect of being locked in a room with a bunch of people and her in the middle was...it was just...yea it wasn't going to happen.

"Tigger, come on. You've been talking about this shower practically since you got pregnant. And I don't want to sit here for months listening to you piss and moan about how much you wished you'd had your big fluffy pink baby shower for your precious little princess."

Greer sat there for a few moments, just slowly stirring her coffee, when an idea made the prospect of a shower not so frightening, "You know... If I wasn't the _only_ one there in the spotlight..." K just stared back at her, totally expressionless.

"Jean's going to be devastated. Three babies and no parties. I'll break the news to her immediately."

"No...come on K." Greer put down her coffee and gave K a pleading face as she reached across the counter and picked up her hand. "Please. Just think of it as a mission. I won't be able to handle it if I don't have you helping to keep everyone at bay. The last thing I need is to slash someone at my own shower..."

K mulled it over in her head, looking miserable at the prospect. She avoided these stupid things like the plague when she _wasn't_ in any danger of being the center of attention. Dumb games, handsy guests that insisted on touching the belly of the woman stuck in the middle of the noise. And now Greer was trying to rope her into it. The only silver lining to that dark cloud was the thought that she _could_ cut off offending appendages.

"Does that mean I'll be off the hook if I slash someone? Because if that's the case, I might agree, but I'd totally have to stack the guest list."

"What? No! We'll both be there to make sure neither one of us slashes anyone...jeez...you don't want to eat anything but you want to slash everyone. And here I thought I had weird cravings."

"Technically, I DO want to eat, I just can't keep it down, and you _just said_ to think of it as a mission. I get to cut people when there's a mission and they piss me off – particularly when they touch me. If I can't slash... or stab ... or ... maim, then I can't think of any reason to go. We can just hole up in the boathouse ... you know. Nice, private boathouse. I'll send Logan out for more elk for you, more bear for me..."

"I do really want more elk...but," Greer let out a little sigh, "Now I kinda want all that pink frou-frou nonsense." The look on Greer's face was so reminiscent of Will, K half expected her to start mewling. K knew she was losing the battle. She had to try one more thing.

"Tigger... look at me. I probably won't make it that long. Celia's already hovering around me waiting for me to blow. And if all our friends see me looking so... awful, they're likely going to want to lock Logan up for not feeding me. Come on. I can't be seen like this. Some feral protection program will try and confiscate me. You'll be left with an angry Wolverine again. You don't want that do you?"

"You can just tell everyone I'm gaining enough weight for the two of us." Greer gave her added curves an ironic gesture. "Besides, everyone will be too busy recovering from shock at you being there to even think to call in feral protective services." K looked unconvinced. "Besides, we _are _the feral protective services."

"Greer ..." the tigress put on her very best doe eyes and K couldn't help but feel guilty. "I heard Pepper's expecting too. Maybe you can push her to the spotlight instead. I'm sure everyone would rather hear how Tony's handling this than Logan. Hmmmm."

"Ooooh...maybe Tony will cater it," Greer's mind began to wander as to what meaty delicacies the billionaire could provide.

"It's your party, Tigger," K replied unable to drink any more of her coffee.

"No, it's our party." Her excitement at the idea of having K along side her instead of just being the object of attention made the scales tip more toward the 'old' Greer and further away from 'feral' Greer.

"That's debatable. Maybe it can be for you and Pepper instead? Double redheads ... twice the fun, right? If I have to be a part of it, it would have to be fast. I don't know that even Jean could pull something together that quick. Just …. suck it up and do it yourself. Or with Pepper."

"K, please... just... promise me you'll be there. _With _me." Her ears drooped a little and her tail went almost totally slack, giving her a very puss-in-boots style look as she pouted. K groaned as she leaned her head on her arm at the counter.

"Fine," K moaned to the floor. "I'll be there... unless I go into labor which judging by Celia and Hank's best guesses – will likely be very soon." Greer chuckled a little.

"Of course, but that's the only way you get out of this. And no slashing, cutting or maiming."

"Stabbing?"

"No." "

"Just a little stabbing?"

"_NO."_

"I'll put it under consideration," K grumbled, and almost on cue, Jean swept into the room with a grin plastered on her face.

"Don't worry, ladies, I've got this whole thing covered. I can pull this together in less than two weeks." K looked between Greer and Jean, her eyebrows drawing together as she assessed them.

"You dirty rotten little... did you set me up?"

"Don't be silly, K. Greer wouldn't do that to you," Jean said with a grin.

"Liar."

"Fine. Maybe she would, but I swear to you she didn't. Just... don't worry about a thing. I've got it all covered," Jean promised. "You just try and do what Hank and Celia say ... eat. Rest. Don't go into labor. I'll make sure Scott knows to get you girls anything you want if Logan and Colton are busy. No reason for either of you to have to lift a finger."

"How bout a claw?" But Jean ignored K's jibe.

"This is going to be so much fun!" A low rumble echoed the kitchen as K glared at the two of them. 'Fun' was not how she'd describe any of this.

* * *

With K having trouble in general, it was no surprise when Greer found her in the med bay a few days before the party, hooked up to an IV, with Logan at her side, K clasping his hand as she slept, curled up on her side.

"Is this it? Is she having them today?" Greer asked, having shown up there herself for yet another check in on her little cub, and nervous now that she might actually have to do their joint baby shower alone.

"She's trying not to," Logan replied as K slept. "She's worn out. Had enough. But, Celia and Hank are trying to get her to stick it out a little longer." Greer frowned and spun, returning a few minutes later with a blanket that she pulled over the little woman, Logan smirked up at her with a quiet 'thanks' as she did so.

After that visits to Logan's growing family were very subdued. Even Will seemed to understand now was not a good time to pounce on K. K was not with it... the depression had started to reemerge and she was getting downright miserable again. On top of that, Greer could easily see that every movement she made hurt her.

They were letting the little ones play when K suddenly clearly looked in deep pain.

"Are you..."

"Fine," K hissed out. "Just wait. It'll pass." The way she was squirming in her chair after the pain passed didn't look to Greer like it was one of those things that just stopped.

"K ..." Greer started, looking worried. "Maybe we should have Jean call off the party."

"I told you it'd pass. It did. Besides, your stupid party is this weekend. I'm not quitting now so you can hold it over me forever."

"I wouldn't be upset if we need to cancel…. really." Greer said, wondering what she could do to ease things for her.

"Just, don't worry about it. You're getting your party one way or another. I said I'd go with you, I'm going. But I swear to you … never again, Tigger. No more bullshit 'parties' to make me uncomfortable."

* * *

The party itself was just as K had predicted, though a much smaller crowd than what she had expected Jean would gather – particularly when compared to other parties Jean had thrown. She'd spent the morning in the lab with Henry loading her up with another round of fluids, double checking her before he'd clear her for Jean to sweep off to the slowly growing crowd, and even then only with a strict warning.

Jean had thought ahead and was holding the festivities near the forest in an attempt to keep the two ferals calm, though K knew that Colton and Logan couldn't be too far away. In fact, K turned and looked into the woods to find Colton's scent on the breeze when the wind shifted. She had just looked to where she knew he was and opened her mouth to tell him to relax when Jean came and took her arm, trying to lead her to a shady cushy spot.

Henry had allowed this soiree to happen only if Jean promised to keep K off her feet, and Jean was going to follow his advice to the letter, even going so far as to arrange for a cozy, comfortable spot for both ladies.

Even so, K was eyeing the trees, her eyes darting between the forest and the guests. The guys had it so easy. _Those Bastards_.

She could probably just leave. Colton wasn't likely to try and stop her. His focus was on Greer only, as far as she knew. She could slip away and disappear. Take off. Might take Logan a while to find her ... he'd mentioned that she'd become a lot harder to scent ... which only made him spend more time marking her. She'd just made up her mind to make a break for it when Greer sat down next to her and hooked her arm with K's.

"I know that look, sister. Don't even think about it," Greer warned at a whisper. "This is fun ... look at all the well wishers Jean _hand picked_ so that we wouldn't be overwhelmed."

"So _you_ wouldn't be overwhelmed. I'm just your security blanket, remember?" K growled back. Greer took a minute to observe her friend. She looked stressed. She was breathing shallowly, she was pale and her hand resting on her belly was trembling.

"Are you really that close? I thought you still have like ... six weeks to go," Greer said, knowing damn well the look on K's face meant she just wanted to be alone in the woods somewhere.

"The docs and I all agree ... there's no way in hell I'm going to make it anywhere near that long," K told her, finally just leaning her head on Greer's shoulder with a sigh. "Let's just get this show on the road. I'm only good for so many smiles today."

The party was actually not nearly as bad as K had expected. Jean and Greer had made a point to dress Abbey up to the nines … the prettiest not entirely frilly pink spring dress with her pigtails was more than enough to keep most of the women in the small crowd highly entertained.

Greer kept her arm looped with K's almost constantly by the time they got to the gifts. To Greer's amusement, Jean had gone through with her promise to Greer and had come up with tiny uniforms for the twins to match their father's with a note that said it would be no trouble to get one made for K too so the whole clan could match.

K didn't see the humor in it. Greer was a bit irritated though by K's counterstrike of vibranium laced tiny tactical gear with a pink piping. She leaned in to make sure Greer knew that she didn't wait for the OK. She'd already given Colton the box containing Greer's set, telling her it was an intriguing mix of vibranium, kevlar and lace. She was sure she was going to get K back when she received the rope that Greer had given her … too soft for anyone to think for a moment that it was anything of real use.

"Rope?" Jean looked confused. "Is that for when you get back to work in the barn?" K on the other hand just smirked, though a few of their close friends looked a bit scandalized, guessing what it's actual use was meant to be.

"Oh yeah. Absolutely. Definitely going to be roping with this one," K replied as Jean's suspicions were raised and she peeked into K's mind … what she was picturing had nothing at all to do with horses in any way. She blushed brightly and glared at Greer for pulling something like that publicly with the little feral.

The rest of the gifts were as was expected, lots of adorable clothes for the little ones … both the babies and the toddlers.

K was sure she'd gotten off the hook until Greer's mother tried to get K to participate in the festivities more. The poor woman's reaction was humorous only to the two ferals when K pulled her lips back in a snarl, her canines showing clearly. A more clear warning wouldn't have been more serious unless there had been bloodshed. Greer had bumped her with her shoulder to get her to stop, only giggling when the general attention of the group shifted for a moment away from the two of them in favor of Abbey and Will joyfully pouncing each other and giggling maniacally. Jean and Greer's mother jumped up to try and stop the toddlers from wrecking their clothes, though both of their mothers could have told them it was a lost cause.

_You never said I couldn't snarl,_ K hissed out, getting Greer to break out in a fresh peal of laughter while the two women refereed the little ones .

Not long afterward, Greer was talking to her mother at the end of the party when she turned to ask K a question, and found that she was simply gone.

"That little witch," Greer grumbled, mentally reaching out to ask Jean where K was.

_She's in bed. I'm not sure when she got there, but she's there and nearly asleep already._ Jean projected back. Greer let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't how she'd hoped it would go, but at least she knew Logan's wife was safe. Henry would likely be happy to hear where K had disappeared to … a quick word with Celia had confirmed that for K it could very well be a matter of days or even hours as opposed to the weeks Greer still had ahead.

When the crowd finally dispersed in earnest, she elected to go check on K. She had to smile when she got down to the boat house.

She and Abbey were snuggled up and sleeping soundly while Logan watched the news in the living room.  
"Hard to believe she let you drag her out there," Logan said quietly.

"Yeah. Seems out of character."

"She didn't talk when she came in," he told her. Greer looked at the sleeping woman and had to nod. "I barely got an acknowledgment when I stripped her down," he informed her. No one even saw her leave the party. That was a feat in itself for a woman of her stature carrying twins.

"Well, when she wakes up, please tell her I said thank you," Greer asked. "I really had a good time, and I couldn't have done it without her."

"She only did it for you, Tigger."

* * *

For the next week, every single time Greer saw K, she was either eating or sleeping or apologizing for not being good company. Greer tried to assure her that it was fine and that she knew K was just getting ready, but K didn't seem to agree, instead feeling guilty for being a joy kill. It had missed no one's attention that Logan was keeping a very close watch on his wife. Of all the signs pointing to the twins impending arrival, his watchfulness and rising nerves was a big giveaway that it was happening very soon.

Greer had been going through her latest purchases with Storm when Jean ran past without a backwards glance. A few minutes later, a 'bamf' interrupted their discussion followed by hushed voices, heavy footsteps and the lingering scent of blood over the brimstone down the hallway.

"Was that?" Greer asked, staring at Ororo wide eyed.

"It seems that it was," Ororo replied, standing up and heading toward the elevators. "I'll fill you in as soon as I know." Greer fretted, knowing that too many people in the lab would only hinder whatever Henry was going to try and do for K. She was the one, however, to send Celia down, with no real information other than 'K's in labor'.

When Greer went to visit them a few hours later in the med bay, she was stunned at how tiny K looked suddenly, but that was eclipsed by the two tiny bundles snoozing quietly. She had to grin when she saw the little boy, his nose a perfect miniaturized replica of his father's.

"He's going to look just like his daddy ...he's going to be a heart breaker," she grinned, hugging Logan's arm.

"Yeah, right. She's gonna be relieved when she wakes up," Logan told her. Greer tore her eyes from the sleeping twins to look at K.

"You mean, she hasn't seen them yet?" He shook his head in response. "Healing up. She'll be out of it until she's all healed. But hey … pressure's off for her now. You're next, kid. Hope it's a lot easier than this mess was. A damn surgery – K nearly bled out and the boy didn't want to breathe. Had to argue with Henry about tying her down. He's afraid she's going to panic when she wakes up. Not that I'd blame her after what just happened." Greer just looked to the sleeping newborns, fretting and worrying her lip. She was next. Fantastic. As she watched K sleep, one of the newborns sighed easily and her own little girl gave her a big stretch …. a not so subtle reminder that she was getting ready for her big debut too.

"I'll come see you guys when she's settled in and rested up a bit," Greer promised, giving Logan another quick squeeze. "Congratulations, dad. They're beautiful." Logan just smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the temple.

"Go. Put your feet up," he advised. "Don't wanna see you in here any sooner than you gotta be."

* * *

Abbey followed her furry friend's lead and the two slowly stalked towards the two little bundles lying on the blankets on the floor without making a sound. Abbey was grinning from ear to ear as they prowled closer.

Once they were within an arms length, the two just shared a curious look before looking over at their respective mother's for approval before getting even closer. Crawling on their bellies they got all the way up to them before Will leaned forward and took a tentative sniff, his tail stock still...he reached out a tiny paw as if to pet the blue one...and without warning he was promptly smacked on the nose by a startled James.

K and Greer tried their best to hide their laughter as Will let out a strangled mewl and bolted around the corner. Abbey had no such self-control and was in a fit of giggles at the entire scene.

"And soon there'll be another kitten in the mix. Should be fun for them, right?" K asked. Greer just smiled, currently laid out on the couch with her tail softly thumping on the floor, and agreed quietly as the little one in question started kicking her mother.

"For them, you said? That's not really comforting." Greer put a hand over the kicks in an attempt to soothe the cub.

"Sure it is. They'll never be alone. That's comforting. Ooh. Hey. Got some potentially good news too," K said, sounding much more like herself than she had in months. "Henry thinks he's got a viable means of staving off another pregnancy." Greer just stared at her wide eyed for a moment, her tail now completely still. "So you know …. no panicking after a great weekend or whatnot."

"How is he going to test it?" Greer asked, the healing abilities both women possessed made drugs and IUD's out of the question for K, and not entirely reliable for Greer.

"Ah, well… you're looking at his newest lab rat," K explained. "I am not liking the idea of having another one any time soon, but … there's no other way to really test it. Hank has assured me this will do the trick. So, I am going to just trust him and hope for the best."

"When do you start testing?" If this worked, it would be good for both of them. Even if Greer had a viable option, it wasn't like she was in any frame of mind to really think about 'prevention' when she went...there.

"We started yesterday."

"Yesterday?!" Greer looked over at the two little newborns now staring at Abbey with their full attention as Will built up the courage to come back over, his curiosity winning out. She knew K trusted Henry but..."and what if...you know…"

K looked a little ... intimidated for a moment as she took a deep breath. "If it doesn't work, then Logan gets the big family he wants and Henry will adjust things accordingly. Honestly though, he's taking blood every day, twice a day ... he's running all kinds of tests. He's not nervous about it ... he's more ... determined than anything. He'll know immediately if he's wrong. I know what I'm looking at if he made a miscalculation, and I'm ... alright with it. Mostly." They met eyes for a moment. "I mean, Logan and I aren't … not yet. But it will be a trial by fire, for sure. There isn't really a choice. If I want this to work, we have to test it. The alternative is just crossing my fingers and hoping it just doesn't happen and well, that's gotten me three so far."

"I hope it works the first time out then. You are a miserable pain in the ass when you're pregnant."

Before K could respond, Will finally got close enough to get a good look at the little ones. His little purr as he very gently bunted foreheads with the little pink one caught both women's attention and the little black and gray puffball laid down next to the babies with Abbey, both toddlers smiling as the babies stared up with wide eyes at what would soon be their closest friends.


	15. Inner Creed

_A/N - Thank you guys, for the reviews - KJAX, Retro, N1elky, and Cheshirecat! ...I'm so glad you liked the miserable mothers ...Of course, the credit for the kittens goes to Cheshirecat and KJAX. I'm just glad they get to play with Abbey and the twins. (ahem)_

_NOW, I'm sure I'll have more of the snuggly friendly family stuff down the road but now, I just had to get this out of my head. __I figure that out of the multiple times Weapon X had K ... they had to try multiple methods, as they were just looking for something to work. ANYTHING. _

_Now, in the spirit of 'non-cohesive' in this story group, it's **not** from K's POV. This bulk of this story happens after Weapon X **recaptured **K. If you remember, it was Victor that brought her in. Colton was long gone from the program by that point. SO ... Enjoy - it's a quick one but I had fun writing it._

_NOW - If you're jonesing for more feral fun, wander on over to The Freelancer Collaboration and read and review their latest chapter of 'In The End, You Always Kneel'. It's the bloodbath - and it's Logan. And I'm entirely partial to it - though I'd love some reviews over there from you guys. Lots of ACTION in that one. _

* * *

The various weapons and operatives were all lined up as the new trainer, Corporal Hall inspected who it was he wanted to work with. He was a hotshot in the US Military. He'd made a reputation as a man who delivered results – consistently, and Colonel Stryker had brought him in as a last ditch effort after they'd managed to re-capture his wayward pet project, K. He wasn't authorized to make any decisions on her anymore, but he could watch. It was a miracle they'd found her, frankly. Though those in charge of Weapon X were less than amused to find that SHIELD had wiped so much of her memory.

All the men lined up were more or less the same …. all of them standing at attention like good little soldiers, but K was allowed her own set of rules … well … not allowed. She just simply refused to follow orders, no matter how tiny they seemed.

* * *

_Always so damned stubborn. Why was she so damn stubborn over everything?_ He thought to himself, thinking back on it as he reflected. It's not like he had a helluva lot else to do. The place was never quiet. He could hardly hear himself think most of the time, but after he gutted the two guys he was supposed to be sharing a cell with … it got a lot quieter. He stared up at the ceiling thinking back all those years ago …

* * *

The subjects had all stood, wearing a similar uniform for the Corporal's inspection. A tight black body suit that hid nothing. As far as he was concerned, they could all be naked for all the modesty the body suits had. One look at the men and you could tell what religion some of 'em were. But her? It would have made it worth his time to watch her chained up and naked. 'Specially when they all cleared out.

Corporal Hall stopped in front of each potential candidate and his assistant took a picture. As they neared K, her arms crossed in front of herself and her chin tipped down, though her eyes never left the man. Before the assistant could take her picture, Creed stepped in and took the camera.

"No photos of this one. She doesn't exist," he growled out menacingly. The assistant took one terrified look toward his superior, who nodded once. This wasn't their house after all.

The look of contempt on her face read clearly. She'd sized this guy up before he'd stepped all the way into the room. Someone else to try and force her to do something she didn't want to. Creed chuckled at her expression. If looks could kill.

Hall wasn't the first, he wouldn't be the last. It never seemed to fail. Some guy would come in, insist they line up then eyeball them like racehorses before picking the biggest, strongest guys to tinker with. He honestly didn't know why they dragged her out for these things. They never knew why she was in the line up. But then Hall skipped the tall, lanky man next to K and started staring at her.

_Here we go. Ogle the one woman here. Keep your hands to yourself and you might live through this. Thanks for playing. Move along, loser, _Creed thought to himself.

K sighed as Hall walked all around her, surprisingly not even attempting to touch her as she paid close attention to his position. After a few more minutes of just half way smiling at her as he stared he continued down the line. Suddenly Creed found himself trying to split his attention between K and Hall. He didn't like the vibe the man was throwing off – and he was looking a little too hard at his promised plaything. He stifled the growl in his throat as Hall went back to a central position, next to Colonel Stryker and Dr. Cornelius, who were, of course overseeing the debacle.

The men in charge shared a few words and Cornelius looked alarmed.

"Are you sure you want her? I don't lend her out as a whore – I don't care how good your credentials are," Cornelius said. Creed's eyes locked onto the two military men and the doctor as they talked. But the trainer was insulted.

"You'd be an idiot to allow treatment like that. She's the one with the most potential. That's the _only one _I want to work with here. You have some nice candidates, but she's _exactly_ the right one."

The tall man next to her stole a glance, before remembering himself and snapping back to attention as the three men came to stand in front of K, Creed trailing close behind.

"She's built well, muscle wise … maybe a little underweight. Ribs and hip bones are showing a bit more than they should." the man said as K clearly tried to keep her cool. Creed didn't like the way Hall's eyes freely roamed over her body. "She's the type you want …. lean, mean, and quick. Sure, she's a lot smaller than the others … but she's the one to be afraid of." Stryker looked at her, surprised that this guy seemed to know the truth just looking at her – all of them warily watching her brown eyes as they flitted between the three of them.

"Does it help or hinder her case if I tell you she's feral?" Hall just chuckled.

"Oh, that should help. If what Dr. Cornelius' notes implies is true, that just makes her nastier when she gets mad. I've never had the pleasure to work with a female feral but … with that in mind … pull her now. I want her. She's my number one choice." Creed bristled. She might be in for Cornelius' project, and they may have plans to turn her into a more controlled weapon, but _he _brought her in. He found her and caught her and brought her back – and he felt like he had a staked claim in her. This wasn't what was supposed to happen.

"What about some of the men? We have more subjects that haven't gone as far as these … they're fine examples ..." but Hall shook his head. It was clear Cornelius was as reluctant to release her to anyone as Creed was. They'd spent too much time and money trying to re-acquire her. "She'll try to kill you."

"I'd be disappointed if she didn't, but if you want to make your program a stand out … you need her trained. I will make her obey. She won't do you a damn bit of good to just breed her if you can't handle her." Without meaning to, both K and Creed began to growl, and the men looked over to her, more alarmed at her growl than his. Cornelius took a few steps back as Stryker's hand was already reaching for the control at his side. The trainer simply smiled … apparently pleased with her disapproval of the tone of their conversation.

"Does she understand English?" Hall asked as he began to pace around her again.

"Don't be a fool … would she be this angry if she didn't?" Cornelius grumbled. "We should just put her into her cell until the controls are finished. She'll be much easier to handle then."

"Why did you ask me here if you didn't want to give me the raw materials?" the trainer snarled at him.

"It looks as though we need to get a few things straight. I didn't ask you here, the board and Colonel Stryker did. Now, I understand you're something special in the military … but training attack dogs – even if it was for the special forces – still leaves you woefully unprepared for dealing with ferals," Cornelius spit out, looking at the man with a level of disgust. "Particularly this one. If Silas Burr couldn't break her … you have zero hope." Creed smirked, one thing he could agree with the Doctor on.

"I don't want to break her, Doctor. I want to control her – dominate her. Make her submit." His eyes were wild as he spoke and Cornelius just stared back at him blankly.

"It's your funeral, Corporal," Cornelius said dryly before clearly washing his hands of the matter.

In the end, Stryker agreed as well – anxious to get her under control and make her useable before something happened. Like another escape. However, everyone at the facility refused to let her off site. For as excited as Coroporal Hall was, they couldn't trust that he wouldn't simply steal her.

They really didn't have to worry. She was less cooperative than even Stryker could have given her credit for.

Even if she hadn't known what they wanted from her … she would not ever have cooperated – and as many before him … eventually the assistant he had working with her lost his professional demeanor and tried beating it into her. He'd kicked her in the ribs until he heard them break … and continued to kick her. When he finally stopped, she was alternating between gasping for breath and coughing up blood.

He grabbed her by the hair, hauling her to her feet, trying to make her comply, but before her ribs could heal, she spun on him and bit his throat out. Creed smiled when it happened. He couldn't have done better himself – and had he laid another hand on her … he would have.

Hall just shook his head. That was his best trainer. He couldn't trust this job to anyone else. He had to do it himself.

He demanded total control from the soldiers and guards there. Creed even grudgingly obliged, though he kept a watchful eye on the woman, always a few bounds away from her. After seeing her growl at Creed one too many times, Hall decided that no one but himself was to handle her at all.

Victor watched with a serious chip on his shoulder. This guy had no idea what he was doing. If they wanted her manipulated … they should have given him full rein to do what he chose … not brought in some punk like Hall. Still, Victor watched, hoping to see the moment when Hall realized he'd miscalculated terribly.

Hall tried to gain her trust, but realized fairly quickly that for as 'lean, mean, and quick' she was … she was no dummy either. Victor could have told them that she knew exactly what he was trying to do and it was clear to him that she didn't appreciate the sentiment. This idiot, Hall, was treating her like an attack dog. She blatantly refused to cooperate.

When he optimistically thought he'd made some progress, he threw her into a wide open room with another candidate for the weapons program … his intention was to watch her fight … watch her flip into survival mode. Instead, they had to stop the fight when she just took it, not once raising her hands in defense. Stryker couldn't believe his eyes and Creed was pissed. Even if K didn't fight him … that son of a bitch was dying tonight.

"She knows. She knows what we're doing and she's flat out being stubborn," Stryker said quietly. Creed huffed to himself. _Of course she knows, you moron._

"Then we figure out how to force her. Nice doesn't work. She ignores nice," the trainer replied.

Over the course of a couple months, he tried every method known to man … finally resorting to pain and torture – he even gave Creed permission to help. K was livid, but this guy wasn't giving up. She really only had one option. And it made every man there freeze.

She cried.

Great, heaving, show your feminine weakness, uncontrollable, hysterical crying. Victor was in shock as Hall smiled and finally approached her She looked miserable, a pitiful tear streaked mess. Hall called for Creed to back off, though he did so warily. He'd never seen her react like that, and he didn't like it. Hall knelt next to her and brushed her hair out of her face and _petted _her. He cooed and coaxed her until she finally lifted her tear stained face to him, lip quivering. Stryker was amazed at what seemed like a miraculous transformation … all the way up until she made a quick hard movement with a snarl, and seconds later, the high dollar trainer was gasping for air and pointing at her mouthing out what suspiciously looked like 'right there' as Creed restrained her, congratulating her quietly, telling her he was surprised that she'd taken so long. It wasn't until autopsy they found that she'd broken his the tail of his sternum into his heart.

As far as K was concerned, that should have been the end of it, unfortunately, Cornelius and Thornton had other plans and began fast tracking all of her threshold tests, using only Creed to handle her after that. Not trusting anyone else to physically force her into anything if he couldn't heal.

The mind control device was looking promising, though that didn't ease Victor's mind. If it worked on her … he knew he'd be next. Compliant or not, a fail safe was always a better bet than probable threat.

Creed had to chuckle when Stryker was forcibly removed from oversight of her project when he recommended to the board to simply harvest and put her down. That was a bit of a personal slap, seeing as they'd promised Creed he could have her if the tests failed. But for the time being, the testing continued. Until …

Creed was livid. She'd cut him deep. She'd cut him and Cornelius practically creamed himself when he saw the claws that Stryker promised she had. Of course, they'd seen them on X-rays, but she'd refused to use them … no matter what they did to her. They'd decided that she simply couldn't control them. And none of them had told Creed she had them. Those fucking claws. A burning hatred rose up in the back of his throat. The chatter in the lab had instantly gone to the bonding process. He could smell the hot metal from half a dozen doors down … the scent strong even over the salty tang of the tanks. And it tweaked him.

They still hadn't followed through on that for him. For years they'd dangled it over his head like a carrot, and again, someone else was fast tracked for it. Creed growled under his breath as he watched her in the cell.

He ran a hand across his chest where her claws had slashed him open not two hours before, and he was livid. _Apparently, they only want ferals with retractable claws to get the metal,_ he growled to himself. She was starting to wake up. He made a quick decision … if she knew the runt, she'd be dead before they could do the bonding. He'd make sure of it.

He flipped the surveillance cameras off for her cell, and on a whim, those leading to the nearest exit too. No reason for anyone to witness anything one way or another.

He took his time with her, trying to get her to spill in his anger – she had to be a daughter or something to him … maybe a long lost sister … but no. She had no idea who he was talking about. There was no lie in the air as she stared at him wide eyed, truly scared. Of course, he knew she'd had her memory wiped. Eh, close enough. She didn't know him _anymore. _He considered for a moment having a little fun … but a little peek at the clock in the hall told him he only had minutes now before the security room got their new shift … and found the bodies of the dead guards. She was shaking in his grip as he pulled her tightly to himself, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke low, in case they were over heard.

"I'm going to let you go … be smart and make the chase worth my while, because I promise you - we're not done here. If I ever find out you know him … _you will_ beg for me to kill you before I'm done, do you hear me girl?" he hissed out. She nodded her head, clearly terrified. "I need you to answer me proper on this one, girly. You understand me?"

"Yes," K finally breathed out, trembling.

"Good," he rumbled low before taking a deep, slow breath. "Run, little girl. I'll be along soon enough … wherever you go. I will find you." With that, he swept out of the cell, hoping she was smart enough to get far away fast.

* * *

He looked at his surroundings … the cell off world. It was clear he couldn't just force his way out of it and they used magic to feed him … Thor had made a point of telling them that as long as he was fed, he didn't need medical help. So they were all on notice. Do not open the cell for any reason.

"Shoulda just killed her," he grumbled to no one in particular.


	16. The More Common Holiday in November

_A/N - Ok. So Not a lost memory, but I'm feeling rather lazy about starting a whole new 'book' of one shots to cover shit that happened that I didn't write about. _

_Also ... this one is a bit cliche in the timing, but what the hell. It was born of a suggestion from KJAX (hi there, my friend) and was nearly used to shake some certain redhead up in place of the Glogg scene not too terribly long ago. I think this is more on mark though ... keeps the mad old lady cooking skillz a secret - ish. Enjoy, and to those stateside, Happy Thanksgiving._

* * *

Classes had wound down for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. K had just come up to the mansion from the boat house to grab her coffee late – the little ones were listening intently to Kurt dramatically telling them a story last she'd seen them.

When she entered the kitchen, Greer looked a mess as she paced, one hand on her hip ... the other holding her cell to her head.

"But I thought we were supposed to all go to your house?" Greer said with a bit of a stressed tone to her voice. She continued to eaves drop as she mixed her coffee. From what she could tell, Marie had changed the plans at the last minute. Any other year, it would be no more than a tiny hiccup for the tigress ... this year however -

Enrollment had been drastically down from the ongoing attack on mutants. Physically mutated individuals were hunted particularly hard, which had Greer nervous about leaving the house with the little ones. To compound matters, Jean was headed to her parents for the first time in years. Nearly all of the students were headed home for the holiday, and those that weren't were tagging along with their favorite teachers as they scattered in the wind for the week.

Which meant the cats would be left behind with Charles, Henry, Remy and Rogue should Marie cancel out on her and the kids didn't care much for Remy's cooking. K wrinkled her brow as she leaned on the counter top across from Greer. Couldn't her mother hear the stress in her voice? It was painfully obvious to K, surely those without enhanced senses could catch some of that ... right?

"No, mom ... it sounds great. I'm sure Lauren will do a beautiful job ... no. No, I don't think we'll be going if it's at Gabe's house. ... No. You already said her family was going to be there too – I ... I don't think that it would be a good idea ... even with inducers ... no, it's just too much of a risk."

It didn't take K long to figure out what had Greer's ears drooped. Marie was ditching them. K bit her cheek to keep from growling. Greer had been looking forward to this for weeks. She gingerly set her mug down and picked up a sheet of paper and a pen as Greer continued to flounder on the phone, her tail flat on the floor as she tried to sound up beat.

"Jean is going home for the holidays, but it's not a problem, really." Greer looked near tears.

K's eyes flicked up to her as she started to write down coordinates to the cottage in her neat script. Without bothering to make eye contact she slid the paper over to Greer's hand. Her eyes flicked up to the little brunette as K tipped her mug up. "Do I have plans?" Greer said unsurely. Only then did K meet her eyes and point to the scrap of paper in front of the tigress. K could just hear Marie offering to switch things around for her as Greer frowned for a moment at the paper.

"Uhhh ... Sorry mom but ... actually ... I already have plans?" Greer said as she looked to Logan's wife.

"_You do?" _Marie's voice was easy to hear for the little feral. K just began to nod slowly, her eyes locked onto Greer's.

"Yes. Yes I do," Greer said slowly. Surprised, joyful words began to pour from Marie as Greer mouthed out a very relieved _thank you _to K. But K simply shook her head and waved it off with one hand.

A few moments later, she hung up the phone and looked at the brunette.

"So ... coordinates? You don't have an address?"

"Figured the big guy would take better to coordinates," K explained. "Harder to misinterpret how to get there." Greer looked down at her with an uneasy expression.

"So ... this is for Thanksgiving ... do you guys ... I mean ... what do you do when you head up to the cottage for the holiday?" K finished her sip of coffee before answering her.

"We usually have dinner. Maybe play in the woods for a bit with the wolves." Greer stared at her for a moment before K rolled her eyes. "I'm joking. The wolves know to keep their distance. Come up, have a bite. Stay for a day or two. Be good for the kids to have a holiday where they don't have to behave so perfectly." With that the little feral simply walked over to the sink to rinse out her mug.

"Well ... what should I bring?" Greer asked, wide eyed. Since the little feral woman had made her appearance in their lives, she really didn't know if K could pull off a full dinner like that ... She could do breakfast like a chef ... and some of the things she'd seen her do with venison was ... well ... mouthwatering.

But K just laughed at her question as she leisurely strolled down toward Logan's office.

"Just bring yourselves," K said over her shoulder. Greer looked from the scrap of paper in her hand to K's gently swaying ponytail and grinned before quickly heading up to her room to begin packing.

K on the other hand shook her head with a smirk as she slipped into Logan's office. He wasn't there yet, but when he got there, she'd have to let him know the plan now included a few feline house guests.

Greer didn't know it, but after the first couple of years listening to Jean get militant about the kitchen at various holidays, K simply had enough. It had become her tradition to haul the little group of ferals up to her cottage and celebrate quietly.

The kids didn't mind leaving either. Especially when during the last encounter, Jean decided to doll them up a bit too much and fuss over them to the point of frustration. James in particular had trouble when the good hearted red head insisted the little fella wear a tie. He'd chuff and grumble as she made him stand still – a feat in and of itself that wasn't helped one bit by his father chuckling at him from across the room in his flannel shirt. Needless to say, young James much preferred his mother's laid back approach to ... well, everything.

Nope. After a few attempts on Jean's part to make the group stay behind, K had insisted on doing it her way ... and Logan hadn't taken up Jean's arguement or complained one bit since the first time. She just hoped that Greer would take to a more relaxed holiday as well.

* * *

When Logan and K got to the cottage, it was just what they needed. Just walking in the door was enough to get them both to relax a hair. They shared a quick kiss as the little ones rushed around making themselves at home.

By the time Greer and Colton arrived the day before the feast, the cottage was warm, drinks were cold, and the Howlett clan was enjoying their evening. The two kittens looked around warily when they stepped inside until they heard the laughter echoing down to them from the kids' upstairs bedroom. They looked up at their father hopefully as Greer took off her coat. The moment Colton gave them a slight nod, the two of them rocketed through the living room and up the stairs adding two new growling giggles into the mix.

"Are you drinking already, K? I thought you'd be working on stuff for tomorrow," Greer said with a smile as she hung up her coat.

"Come on in, make yourselves at home," K directed as she gave the tigress a quick hug and went to refill her glass.

When Greer stepped away from the threshold, she took a slow look around the warm, cozy little cottage. She wanted to say something, had even opened her mouth ... until she saw the view overlooking the lake just beyond where Logan was sitting with his feet up.

She set the bottle of wine down on the counter that she'd brought for the big dinner and slowly made her way across the room until she stopped right in front of the tall, broad windows overlooking the lake. Logan and K shared a little smirk as they watched her tail sway slowly behind her.

The view ... The view was a knock out. The water on the lake hadn't frozen yet, but the rest of the forest around it was covered in a blanket of snow. The fire crackling in the wood burner and the pleasant smell of burning wood and the few things K had going in the oven just warmed the soul.

Seemingly from nowhere, K appeared at Greer's side and slipped a glass of wine into her hand, breaking the spell that the lake had woven over the tigress.

"Oh, no – I brought that for tomorrow," Greer started to protest.

"Just ... enjoy it. Please. There's plenty of wine here. Come on. Relax. The whole point of this was to relax," K replied. When she turned, it was obvious that Greer wasn't the most tense one there. "And you – big guy." Colton's head swiveled to look at the smaller feral. "Go ahead. Look around. I know you want to. When you're done, feel free to run the perimeter .. you know Logan's marks."

Colton openly looked around the cottage as K joined her husband on the loveseat in front of the fire. It took the two little time to get snuggled up as Greer moved to a chair and enjoyed the frosted view of the lake and the pleasant, slow almost grinding noise the water wheel was making just outside. She stole a quick glance at K as she curled into Logan's side. She never would have picked out a place like this to describe the little woman ... but it fit. Perfectly.

When Colton slipped back through the front door and into the snowy forest, Greer finally came around enough to ask some technical questions.

"So .. usually by this time, Jean has a bunch of lists made ... her recipes pulled out .."

"I'm not Jean," K said frankly. "I don't need a list. Or a recipe. I have like ... two things that need to be made before tomorrow that I haven't already finished. Otherwise, all my prep is done unless you feel like peeling potatoes. But, I usually let the kids do that." Greer just stared at her.

"Really."

"Yes. Believe it or not, this isn't my first time cooking for a crowd, Tigger."

"Could have fooled me," Greer mumbled as she sunk deeper into the cozy chair in front of the fire, her view unimpeded of the lake as she enjoyed her wine and fluffly snowflakes drifted down.

"Well, I guess it's my first time cooking for you, so I'll ignore that for now," K replied, totally unbothered by the jab.

The only sounds echoing the house was that of the children upstairs, snickering like gremlins as they played almost quietly.

When Colton came in an hour later, he looked relaxed.

"Fresh venison outside," he rumbled quietly.

"Perfect," K replied as she picked her head up off of Logan's shoulder. That was his cue to go cut it up. "Sounds like just what we need tonight."

As the night wore on though, Greer seemed to get more and more nervous as K didn't seem to make a move toward preparing at all.

"Aren't you ... I mean -"

"Listen, if you're getting nervous ... fine. You can cut up some mushrooms with me," K relented. What she pulled out of the refrigerator got a look from the tigress.

"_What _is _that_?" she asked, her nose scrunched up.

"Morels. They had to soak in wine. You dry them in the spring then freeze them to keep ... and you have them when you need them." And so started the ratcheting of nerves for the tigress as odd vegetables seemed to slowly make their appearance. Colton however, looked intrigued and quickly took Greer's place as helper while Greer watched the two of them critically over the rim of her wine glass. Those mushrooms looked weird.

"Are you sure those aren't poisonous?" Greer blurted out. "Because the kids -"

"My kids love them. They're definitely not poisonous," K cut across. "I'm not going to poison the children." But as she continued to cut them up she noticed the way Colton was watching her. She stopped and just watched him back until he finally spoke.

"That's not exactly the way that the recipes I've read say to do this," he rumbled quietly. From the way he was looking at her, it was clear he expected some repercussions ... not the warm smile he received in instead.

"Well, there are lots of ways to do it – but mine is the right way. I'm happy to teach you if you want." To her surprise, Colton quickly washed up and joined her in prep. Twenty minutes later, they'd put it all away. All of it. And Greer couldn't believe her eyes when K pulled out the dusty bottle of scotch and sidled up to her husband.

"But ... there should be hours of work still tonight," Greer said with her brow scrunched.

"Not the way I do it."

"But -"

"Just ... stop. _I've got this,_" K insisted. "I'm not going to tell you again." The subject was dropped quickly and the evening devolved into movies for the kids and cards for the adults ... and before long, the kids had all fallen asleep, snuggled up together on the floor in front of the fire.

"I hate to wake them," K said low.

"Then don't. We'll stay out here with them. Keep an eye," Greer offered as she curled up next to the little ones. Although she'd laid down by Will, it was Rose that had snuggled up to her. K just smiled to herself as she watched the contented sigh that James let out as he snuggled in between Abbey and Angela. Without another word, Logan led his wife off as the Hanes took up a sleepy watch over the five snuggled up kids.

* * *

When K got up in the morning, there seemed to be no sign of her three children amid the purring fur balls. She tiptoed toward them, just curious as to where they might be.

"Flikor, pojke ..." K all but whispered out. There was a brief struggle and three dark heads popped up, only to be pushed back down by the tigress as she half mumbled to them. Colton's tail tightened the circle.

The giggles started and K smiled at the comfy looking group, finally having some mercy as the purrs turned to rumbles. "Var stilla. Sova," K murmured and the giggles died back down as she finally got down to work.

When Colton woke up fully an hour later, he simply headed over to watch her work. When his brow drew together it was clear to her that he was trying to figure out her methods.

"Something I can help you with, big guy?"

"Wondering how you got it to smell like that" he said quietly.

"Simon and Garfunkel combo ... well ... most of it. Sage, rosemary, and thyme. Parsley if you like the color," K replied. Not long after, James made his way over to her, with his hair ruffled.

"Can I help now?" he asked quietly. K just nodded and as she'd told Greer before, put the boy to work peeling potatoes. Before long, all of the Howlett kids were doing little chores like that ... working quietly but quickly. In no time at all, they'd finished their bit of helping.

"Can we go outside to play now?" Abbey asked as soon as she'd cleaned up after herself. It had been snowing steadily since the night before and there was a thick, fluffy coat of snow making everything look fresh and new.

"Coats, mittens ... and boots. Keep away from the lake," K instructed. It was unnecessary though as they simply started a snowball fight on the deck before running off to go sledding.

Again, Greer was disturbed when the lady of the house poured herself a glass of wine, took a seat and tucked her feet underneath her.

"Aren't you going to ... I don't know ... cook?" Greer asked as she gestured toward the oddly immaculate kitchen. She'd never seen anyone's kitchen so perfect hours before a feast.

"I am. Right now. Everything is in the oven, and we have a few hours before it's ready. It doesn't need me to hover over it." But Greer just worried her lip a bit.

"Tigger – I know you're used to Jean's anxiousness when it comes to cooking big meals ... but you know how she is. She has to fuss or she's not happy. This is simple. Really. No fussing required. Now relax before I kick your ass into the lake."

She wanted to argue ... but she simply couldn't find fault with the rich scents swirling around the little cottage. It looked as if she'd done hardly anything to speak of ... but the evidence was to the contrary.

When the kids came in from outside ... out of breath, dripping wet and cold, Greer was quick to wrap her cubs in warm fuzzy towels before they could shake off in front of the big windows before she sent them to the fire with cocoa. She simply couldn't imagine what K had to do just to keep those windows clean.

* * *

K was refilling her wine when Angela pounced into a chair at the counter. She got herself comfortable, her head in her hands as she watched K ... clearly expecting something. K watched the tiny tigress in return as she tipped her wine glass up. Within a few minutes, the rest of the kids had joined her, all lined up and looking across the island to K while she simply returned the favor. Greer melted in the moment and couldn't help herself as she stealthily pulled out her phone and snapped a picture.

"You guys getting hungry?" K asked the line of kids as she swirled her wine in the glass. All of them began to nod. With her hand on her hip, she took another sip of wine before she narrowed her eyes at them and set the wine glass down. She crossed her arms on the counter and leaned forward so she was at eye level with them. "So what ... you want me to feed you?" The two kittens weren't sure how to answer – particularly when they knew there was a big dinner coming. K smirked when she saw how they were reacting. "Tell you what. Go wash up and when you come out, all clean and dry, I'll have a little something to tide you over." As soon as the kids were out of the room, she looked up at Greer. "Timing is everything. And it's time. Come on ... let's move this stuff."

Greer quickly did all that K had directed ... Colton and Logan were outside somewhere ... if K's guess was right, splitting more wood. It wasn't long though before the tigress simply stepped back and gave the woman room to move. K was as quick in the kitchen as she was in the field and by the time the kids came back to the big open room, dinner was on the table. As she washed her hands, K sent Abbey to go get the guys and Greer just grinned. Sneaky woman had it all planned out alright.

* * *

When it was over, Greer was pleasantly relaxed. Her purr was low and quiet as she stretched out in front of the fire ... a final glass of wine in front of her and Colton smirking as he half napped at her side. The kids had all fallen asleep already – though K almost interviened when the twins tried to climb over Colton into the middle of the group.

Greer had waved her off quickly as she helped Rose over the panther to snuggle in the middle next to her brother not half a second after Colton flinched a bit from James kicking him. The felines had simply readjusted slightly and fallen asleep shortly after the kids. Abbey had actually made it all the way to her bed upstairs and was enjoying sprawling out as she napped.

Greer cracked an eye open and couldn't help but smile. Usually after a holiday, she felt relief that it was over, but somehow, with K at the helm she found herself completely contented. It was a nice change of pace.

Once the other occupants of the cottage had dozed off, K let Logan lead her to their room.

"You pulled off a helluva job, sweetheart. Did you go and stress yourself out?" Logan asked as K slipped into their bed and hugged her pillow. It didn't take long before he slipped in behind her.

"No. Unless that means I get special treatment - in which case, yes. Yes I did. Terribly."

"You know she's gonna want to come every time you do this now." K shrugged and snuggled in closer to him.

"As long as she doesn't want to bring her dumbass sister in law, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."


End file.
